Lawyer says man shot by off-duty officer at Choctaw football game had his hands in the air

A lawyer who says he is representing a local man shot during a high school football game that turned deadly told The Oklahoman Saturday that his client had his hands up when he was fired on by an off-duty police officer.

Dallas-based attorney Billy Clark says his client, Demetrize Carter, 43, of Oklahoma City, was trying to break up a fight at the Aug. 25 Choctaw vs. Del City football game when he was shot in the chest by an off-duty Del City Police officer.

"My client did everything that he is called to do, and everything that officers want anyone to do when they're confronted with the police. He did all those things — every single one of them — and he still got shot," Clark told The Oklahoman Saturday.

"We're lucky and prayerful that he did not die because he had life-threatening injuries."

Aaron Brilbeck, a spokesman for the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the officer-involved shooting, said the name of the man shot by the Del City officer at the Aug. 25 game has not yet been released, nor could he confirm that it was Demetrize Carter. But Brilbeck said the sheriff's office is eager to interview the shooting victim.

What happened at the Aug. 25 Choctaw vs. Del City football game?

Multiple gunshots were fired and a 16-year-old student was killed during the third quarter of the Aug. 25 Choctaw vs. Del City football game at Choctaw High School.

Several others at the game, including adults and teenagers, were injured.

Cordea Carter, 16, was shot and killed during the game at Bill Jensen Field. The victim also has been identified as Corday Carter by various law enforcement officials and family members.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Wednesday on a second-degree murder complaint. The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken into custody "without incident" by officers from Choctaw, Oklahoma City, the U.S. Marshal's office and Oklahoma County's warrants team.

Police believe an argument between at least two males led to the shooting. Investigators recovered two guns and eight rounds at the scene. Choctaw Police Chief Kelly Marshall said that shots were fired by an unknown number of individuals at the game, and at least one shot during the exchange was fired by an off-duty Del City police officer.

Oklahoma County Sherriff's Office is investigating the officer-involved shooting

Multiple agencies are involved in investigating what took place at the Aug. 25 Choctaw vs. Del City game, including the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office and Del City police, but the Choctaw Police Department is the lead agency.

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said at a Monday news conference that his office is investigating the officer-involved shooting that took place during the game because the officer was off duty at the time.

The sheriff said that two Del City police officers were working as off-duty security at the game in Choctaw. The Mid-Del School District pays for the security service.

During the shooting at the game, one of the officers shot a 42-year-old man in the chest. The man was transported to a hospital and was still in critical condition as of Monday, the sheriff said.

“The officer perceived some sort of threat,” Johnson told reporters Monday, “but it’s important to stress we are still very early on in the investigation and can’t comment further on what the officer perceived.”

Although only one of the two Del City police officers fired their guns, both have been placed on paid leave, Del City Police Chief Lloyd Berger said at Monday's news conference.

Attorney says his client faces a 'long road' after the shooting

KFOR first reported that Demetrize Carter was the man shot in the officer-involved shooting and that Clark is representing him.

Although Demetrize Carter's condition has improved, Clark, the attorney, said he remains hospitalized in Oklahoma City after suffering a collapsed lung, kidney failure and damage to his intestines, spleen and pancreas as a result of the bullet that struck him in the left side of the chest.

"They're still evaluating him every single day. ... He still has the bullet inside of him; they're just being cautious with that," Clark told The Oklahoman by phone Saturday. "It's gonna be a long road, I can definitely tell you that."

The lawyer said Demetrize Carter, who turned 43 Thursday, told him that he was trying to stop some kids from fighting at the game when the initial shooting took place.

"He tried to ... break it up, and one kid pulled a gun out and shot the other kid. So, he moved out the way from that," Clark said. "As everything was unfolding, one of the police officers came toward him and was talking to him, giving him commands. He raised his hands like, 'Look, please don't shoot; I'm an adult trying to stop this,' and before you know it, the officer just shot him. And his hands were in the air."

Clark said there are several witnesses to corroborate that Demetrize Carter's hands were in the air when he was shot by the off-duty officer. He said two of his client's children were also in attendance at the game.

The attorney said Demetrize Carter spoke Friday to a Choctaw Police officer but had not yet been interviewed by an investigator from the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office.

Brilbeck, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office public information officer, said their investigators are eager to speak with the victim in the officer-involved shooting.

"We've tried three separate times to interview him, and he's refused to talk with us. So, we're glad that he's gotten an attorney ... and hopefully, soon he'll be willing to talk with us," Brilbeck told The Oklahoman. "This is one of these deals where, obviously, the sooner we can talk with him, the sooner we can button up the investigation."

On Tuesday, the sheriff's office posted to social media asking for attendees at the Aug. 25 game who had any photos or videos — especially related to the officer-involved shooting — to call investigators at 405-713-1017. Videos and pictures also can be uploaded at https://oklahomacso.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/choctaw-delcity.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lawyer says man shot by officer at Choctaw football game has 'long road'