ELIZABETH CALDWELL: Tulsa’s courts have wrapped up a high-profile case involving a prominent police lieutenant accused of covering up a shooting. A city councilwoman who’s married to the lieutenant claims the case has political implications for the city. KWGS’s Max Bryan covered the trial and is here to discuss it. Hi, Max.
MAX BRYAN: Hi, Elizabeth.
EC: Can you tell us a bit about who Marcus Harper is?
MB: Sure. Before charges were filed around the shooting cover-up, Harper was the president of TPD’s Black Officers Coalition, and was one of the supervisors of the department’s Major Crimes Unit. He’s also married to city councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper. During the trial, multiple officers said Harper is one of the most experienced members of the force.
EC: But in 2021, prosecutors accused him of accessory to a felony, which brings us to the cover-up. The charge came from a case where a man connected to ANOTHER Tulsa police officer got in a gunfight. What did they say about Harper’s involvement?
MB: Prosecutors said former officer Latoya Dythe lent her car to her boyfriend’s brother Jonathan Jones, and while Jones was using the car, he got in the gunfight. No one died, it was just an exchange of gunfire. Jones fled to Dythe’s apartment. Harper visited the apartment off-duty after Dythe called him. Prosecutors said he told the Jones brothers to flee town and get rid of guns tied to the shooting. But Jonathan Jones told the court Harper didn’t say that. Dythe even said Harper told them to call 911 and be truthful with responding officers.
EC: But that wasn’t the only thing they accused him of, was it?
MB: No. Attorneys also claimed Harper delayed the investigation into the shooting by not being forthcoming to other officers. Several witnesses pointed out he didn’t write an official police report or tell other officers to investigate, and witnesses said Harper told them not to tell anyone he was at the apartment. They tried to use those testimonies to at least get a misdemeanor obstruction charge.
EC: So if the court was able to prove he was being evasive, how did he dodge that charge as well?
MB: Harper’s attorneys pointed out the case moved forward with an arrest the next day, and Harper said he gave a written statement to his supervisor about his visit to the apartment.
EC: So Harper was placed on leave without pay after the charges were filed. What are next steps for him?
MB: Good question. Here’s a clip of him talking to reporters after the trial:
MARCUS HARPER: At some point, I’ve got to go back into that hostile environment and try to continue on, and wait for what’s next.
EC: But it’s not that simple, is it?
MB: It’s not. Police told me they’re investigating Harper internally, and the judge even said in his verdict that internal discipline or termination from the force might be in order. But his wife, Councilwoman Hall-Harper, told a reporter this:
VANESSA HALL-HARPER (SPEAKING TO A REPORTER): “Is your husband going back to work?” “Why wouldn’t he? Absolutely.” “He said it’s hostile.” “It is hostile. It is hostile. But truth has to stand, and right has to be in places where wrong has taken place. So yes, he’ll be going back.”
EC: Let’s add a little more context to that comment from the councilwoman. You also reported Hall-Harper made some claims about motives behind her husband’s prosecution. Can you tell us a bit about that?
MB: Sure, and this is where we get into city politics. For years, Hall-Harper has criticized TPD for a lack of oversight, and her push for an independent monitor to achieve this has stalled. Before her husband’s charges, she told the media they were being targeted for their push for oversight at TPD. And these tones were evident in her remarks after the trial. Take a listen:
VH: This was an attack on me and my husband as two leaders in this community. That’s all this was. It was an attempt because I said that TPD has crooked-ass cops in it, and today just proved that I was right.
EC: Did the police say anything in response to Hall-Harper?
MB: No, they actually declined to comment and cited their investigation of her husband. So now that the trial is over, a couple of things to potentially look out for are the outcome of that investigation, and the discourse around police oversight at City Hall.
EC: We’ll definitely cover those things when they happen.
MB: Absolutely.
EC: Listeners can read more about Harper’s trial in the articles you’ve written on our website, public radio tulsa dot org. Thanks, Max.
MB: Thank you.
