OKLAHOMA CITY –
Oklahoma City police say an 18-year-old man is arrested in the armed robbery and shooting of a pizza delivery driver, while another suspect remains at large.
Police said Jakobe Helms was arrested in connection with the March 1 shooting in northeast Oklahoma City, and was already behind bars on other crimes. He is being held on several complaints including assault and battery with a deadly weapon and first-degree robbery.
The victim, identified as Stephen, delivers pizzas for Domino’s and spoke on the phone from his hospital room about the night he was shot while on the job.
Stephen said he first tried to deliver a pizza to a home in Oklahoma City, but the people there told him they didn’t place an order. When he called the customer, he said he was told to meet them instead at the intersection of NE 15th Street and Irving.
“My instincts said that I should run from this until when I should have ran, it was too late,” he said.
After arriving, Stephen said the two men paid for the pizza.
“That’s what completely threw me off,” Stephen said. “Everything was fine in terms of transaction. They paid. I gave them the pizza. That was it.”
Then, moments later, he said the situation quickly turned violent. Stephen said the men, armed with a gun, tried to rob him.
“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.”
But before he could get away, he said one of them shot him in the back, grabbed his bag and both ran off with a little more than the cash they had just paid for the pizza. He said the bag also had miscellaneous items inside, like dog treats, a flashlight and a fake wallet.
“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 the shooting, but he says doctors told him the bullet remains lodged in his back because removing it would be too risky. 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.”
Police said Helms remains in the Oklahoma County jail. Investigators say a second suspect involved in the robbery has not yet been identified. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300.
A GoFundMe account is set up to help with Stephen’s medical bills. If you would like to help, click here: Fundraiser for Cristina Quinones by Anthony Born : Support Stephen’s Recovery After Delivery Assault
