Christopher Lane with girlfriend, Sarah Harper. (Facebook)
Christopher Lane and girlfriend, Sarah Harper. (Facebook)
Three teenage boys were charged in the killing of an Australian university student in Oklahoma “for the fun of it,” prosecutors said on Tuesday
Christopher Lane, of Melbourne, was found dead of a gunshot wound on Friday, according to police in Duncan, Oklahoma, about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City.
“They followed him, shot him in the back and drove off,” Duncan, Okla., police chief Danny Ford said yesterday.
“When asked why he [a 17-year-old suspect] did it, he said, ‘We were bored and decided to kill somebody.’ ”
According to police, Jones admitted that the teens decided to kill someone “for the fun of it.”
Charged with first-degree murder are Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards Jr., 15. Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, who allegedly drove the vehicle carrying the other suspects, was charged with use of a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and accessory to murder after the fact, according to the Stephens County District Attorney’s office.
Police said Jones named Luna as the gunman.
Lane was out jogging during a visit to his girlfriend and her family in Duncan on Friday, when he was shot in the back, police said. He attended East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, where he was on a baseball scholarship.
Police said a witness called 911 when she saw Lane stagger across the road and fall.
According to police, Jones told police on Sunday that they saw Lane jogging and decided he would be their target. Police said the three followed him in their vehicle and shot Lane in the back, police said.
Police used surveillance video from area businesses to identify the vehicle, which was found later at a church parking lot with the three suspects inside after a caller reported three youths with guns who were threatening to kill someone.
The vehicle’s trunk contained a shotgun with the serial numbers sanded off, but the actual weapon used in the shooting has not been found, police said.
Lane’s father, Peter Lane, called the killing “senseless” in an interview broadcast on CNN from Australia.
“There’s not going to be any good coming out of this because it was so senseless,” Lane said. “It happened, it’s wrong and we’re just trying to deal with it the best we can.”
Lane had started as a catcher for the ECU Tigers.
In a statement, ECU baseball coach Dino Rosato said Lane was a well-respected teammate.
“He was an absolute joy to coach,” said Rosato. “He set a great example for all of his teammates, but more importantly for the younger players. He was a mature student-athlete who his teammates could look to for advice and support.”
Lane’s friends, loved ones and supporters Down Under lashed out at the alleged killers and American gun culture.
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer has urged Australian tourists to boycott the US in the wake of Lane’s slaying.
“Tourists thinking of going to the USA should think twice,” said Fischer, an outspoken gun-control advocate. “This is the bitter harvest and legacy of the policies of the NRA that even blocked background checks for people buying guns at gun shows.”
“People should take this into account before going to the United States, “ Fischer continued. “I am deeply angry about this because of the callous attitude of the three teenagers (but) it’s a sign of the proliferation of guns on the ground in the USA.”
He added: “There is a gun for almost every American.”
The suspects’ parents insisted their kids are innocent.
“My son is not that way,” said mom Jennifer Luna, claiming her son was at home when the shooting happened. “My son is a good kid.”
The father of 15-year-old suspect Edwards said his kid has never been in a gang. The dad said he feels for Lane’s loved ones.
“My prayers go out to them,” the father said. “I have lost several loved ones recently myself. I feel sorry for the individuals and family.”
Video on Vine surfaced of one of the accused, James Edwards, brandishing a gun, and saying, “B—h we up dem poles, f— with me.”
Lane’s American girlfriend said she’s lost “best friend, telling the Herald Sun that she didn’t know what punishment would be appropriate.
“I don’t want them to have any future that Chris wasn’t able to have as well,” said Sarah Harper, 23.
“It’s been pretty rough. It’s been hard knowing he was taken so close to home, let alone taken in the way he was. To be pointed out like that …”
Lane had only been back in the US for three days after an eight-week break in Australia with Harper.
The heartbroken girlfriend said she and Lane had joked about America’s soft gun laws before he was shot.
“He wasn’t a fan of guns,” she said.
She fondly described Lane as a smart, kind and curious guy who would “do anything for anybody”.
“It was more of a personality (we had in common), not so much interests. He was intellectual, into world news, and I found that quite boring,” Harper said.
“He really wanted to travel more. He loved the idea of seeing the world.”