News 9 Okc: Domino’s driver Stephen recounts shooting during northeast OKC delivery
From a hospital room, Stephen described the moment a routine delivery ended with a gunshot to his back. In the case now drawing attention across northeast Oklahoma City, police say a pizza delivery driver was shot during a robbery near NE 15th Street and North Irving Street. The victim survived, but doctors have told him a bullet remains lodged in his back because removing it would be too risky.
Stephen’s delivery route ends at NE 15th Street and Irving
Stephen delivers pizzas for Domino’s, and he said the night began with a stop at a home in Oklahoma City where the people who answered the door told him they had not placed an order. He called the customer, and he said he was instructed to meet instead at the intersection of NE 15th Street and Irving.
At that corner, Stephen said, two men paid for the pizza. He said the payment made the exchange feel ordinary. “That’s what completely threw me off, ” he said. “Everything was fine in terms of transaction. They paid. I gave them the pizza. That was it. ”
Moments later, Stephen said, the situation turned violent. He said the men, armed with a gun, tried to rob him, and he attempted to get away and reach his car. “My flight instincts kicked in, ” he said. “I tried to get away as quickly as possible and tried to get into my car and leave. ” Before he could, he said, one of the men shot him in the back.
Oklahoma City police arrest Jakobe Helms after the March 1 shooting
Oklahoma City police say an 18-year-old man, Jakobe Helms, was arrested in connection with the armed robbery and shooting in northeast Oklahoma City. Investigators have said Helms was already behind bars on other crimes and remains in the Oklahoma County jail.
Police said he is being held on several complaints, including assault and battery with a deadly weapon and first-degree robbery. At the same time, investigators say a second suspect involved in the robbery has not yet been identified.
Details from the scene describe how quickly the robbery unfolded after the handoff. Stephen said his bag was taken after he was shot, along with “a little more than the cash they had just paid for the pizza. ” He said the bag also had miscellaneous items inside, including dog treats, a flashlight, and a fake wallet.
News 9 Okc details Stephen’s recovery as police search for a second suspect
From the hospital, Stephen described what came after he was hit. “My first thought was what was I going to do to provide, and then the concern for my life, ” he said. “If I was able to get out of this alive, and then if I was able to walk, then after that, kind of just blurred to nothing but pain. ”
Stephen survived, but he said doctors told him the bullet remains in his back because removing it would be too risky. He said he is now working through a long recovery as he learns to walk again. “It’s one step at a time, literally and figuratively, ” he said. “It’s slow progress, but progress nonetheless. ”
Investigators have said a second suspect remains at large. Another account of the case said officers responded around 11 p. m. Saturday and found the driver, who was transported to OU Medical in critical but not life-threatening condition. Police have described the two suspects as males, and one description placed them in their early 20s, while the arrest identified Helms as 18.
For now, Stephen’s account anchors the case to a single intersection and a single delivery that never should have been rerouted. Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with Stephen’s medical bills, as he continues recovery with the bullet still lodged in his back.
