Police say 32-year-old and 19-year-old are expected to be charged with killing three and wounding two in Oklahoma city

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Two white men were arrested on Sunday over shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that left three black men dead and two more critically wounded.

Police said the arrested men were expected to face three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. He said police acted on an anonymous tipoff.

The men were identified as 19-year-old Jake England and 32-year-old Alvin Watts. A police spokesman, Jason Willingham, said authorities had begun seeking the men on Saturday evening.

Police had said previously that they were searching for a white man driving a white pickup, which was spotted close to where three of the shootings occurred early on Friday.

At least two dozen officers were called to investigate the case, along with the FBI and US marshals, in a taskforce named Operation Random Shooter. The arrests came hours after the taskforce was launched.

The shootings placed Tulsa's black community on edge over the weekend. Authorities said they thought the shootings were linked because they happened at around the same time within a three-mile span and all five victims were out walking when they were attacked.

Willingham said authorities still faced many unanswered questions after the arrests. "We are going to turn over every rock," he said.