Authorities in Tulsa are investigating whether a homeless black man shot and killed two white men because of their race.
Carlton Gilford allegedly murdered the two strangers he had no connection with on April 18, the Tulsa Police Department told Fox News.
Gifford went inside the Rudisill Library around 9:40 a.m., walked up behind Lundin Hathcock, 35, and sadistically shot him in the back of the head, according to cops.
Hathcock, who had been sitting at a desk when he was killed, was rushed to a local hospital where he died.
Later that day, Gifford went to a nearby QuikTrip convenience store and allegedly shot James McDaniel in the back of the head.
McDaniel, 55, fell to the ground and Gifford then shot him again, leaving him dead at the scene, authorities said.
Police said Gilford was also caught on surveillance video firing shots at a security guard and another person outside the QuikTrip. When officers arrived, he was standing outside the store and admitted to shooting the two men, the Tulsa Police Department said on its Facebook page.
Gilford was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of shooting with intent to kill, and one count of malicious intimidation or harassment.
The latter charge is Oklahoma’s version of a hate crime.
“The information suggests that race played a role in it,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler told local CBS affiliate KOTV. “I feel like that is something we can prove, and it is something that a judge or jury obviously needs to listen to. So, we will present that information along with everything else.”
Gilford, whose jail records describe him as homeless, is being held without bond and is due back in court on June 23.
With Post wires