Freedom stepping up to support double homicide victims with benefit rodeo
OSBI officials said three people were arrested in connection with the double homicide
OSBI officials said three people were arrested in connection with the double homicide
OSBI officials said three people were arrested in connection with the double homicide
A double homicide on Thursday has led to three arrests and the small town of Freedom, Oklahoma, in despair.
| MORE | OSBI identifies victims killed in Freedom double homicide; 3 suspects arrested
Despite the despair, Freedom is standing united after two of their neighbors were killed early Thursday morning at a home near Saddlehorn Drive and Dusty Trail. On Saturday, the town will honor its friends with a rodeo tribute.
"We step up and take care of our own," Scott Matthews, the chairman of the Freedom Chamber of Commerce Rodeo Committee, said.
Gunfire woke up the town of Freedom on Thursday.
"When you hear those gunshots, it makes your heart drop to your stomach," Freedom resident Melissa Burkhart said.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, 70-year-old Gary Bradt was found dead inside his home. He was a grandfather, a recent retiree and an avid fisherman.
"He'd give you the shirt off his back," neighbor Nancy Harger said.
Law enforcement also found 19-year-old Timothy Wilcox. The teenager was fighting for his life but later died at the scene.
| MORE | People in Freedom are in shock after two men were killed in an apparent double homicide
Family told KOCO 5 that Wilcox lived with Bradt as a caretaker.
"Tim was an avid competitor, especially in the ranch bronc riding, and of the guys that really talked me into hosting one up there," Matthews said. "We made the decision that because he was 19 and because he was such a devoted person to the cowboy lifestyle and ranch rodeo that we wanted to help somehow."
The chamber of commerce will hold a ranch rodeo on Saturday as a tribute. The benefit will include a silent auction to raise money for funeral expenses and to say goodbye to the teen known as Freedom's Cowboy.
"We've had somebody willing to turn a bronc out in his name as his last ride," Matthews said.
OSBI officials said three people were arrested in connection with the double homicide. KOCO 5 has chosen not to name them until formal charges are filed.
A memorial fund also has been set up through the Bank of Freedom to help with funeral costs. You can either call the Freedom Chamber of Commerce at 580-334-0599 or the Bank of Freedom.
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