In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a dispute simmering between neighbors escalated into a fatal encounter. Just after midnight on September 4, 2011, police received a call about a stabbing at the Soul Brothers Car Wash. However, upon their arrival at the scene in the 3200 block of North Peoria, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.
The victim was 43-year-old James Edward Knapper Jr., a Black male.
The events leading to the shooting apparently began with a fight outside the nearby Tanzi Sports Bar. It is believed that Knapper knew his assailant, and their confrontation was the culmination of an ongoing neighborhood dispute. After being shot with a small caliber handgun, Knapper was rushed to St. John Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries and died. The initial confusion of a stabbing report may have stemmed from the chaotic scene as witnesses began to leave the area after the incident.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Tulsa Police described the suspect as a Black male, approximately 25 years old, standing about 5-foot-8 and weighing around 180 pounds. Despite this description and the belief that the victim and suspect were acquainted, no one was ever officially identified in connection with the murder of James Knapper Jr. The case, which was the city's 36th homicide of 2011, remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made. The sports bar and car wash where the tragic events unfolded have since been demolished.
