Two white men accused in a spate of shootings in predominantly black neighborhoods of Tulsa, Oklahoma, will make their first court appearance Monday, as authorities work to determine whether the violence that left three people dead was racially motivated.
Authorities are digging into the backgrounds of Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 33, who are charged with three counts of murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill in connection with last week's shootings that also wounded two people.
The pair was arrested early Sunday after a series of tips that led investigators to England's burned pickup, a vehicle that matched a description reported at the crime scenes, according to their arrest reports.
Local and federal authorities stopped short of categorizing the violence as a hate crime.
We have yet to analyze all the information to understand the motivations of these subjects in this case," said Jim Finch, the head of the FBI's Oklahoma office.
Police Chief Chuck Jordan said the investigation was still ongoing. "We are going to explore any possible motives," he told reporters Sunday afternoon.
As part of the investigation, authorities were examining England's use of a racial slur on his Facebook page to mark the anniversary of his father's 2010 killing.
A day before the shootings, England wrote on his Facebook page that it was the second anniversary of his father's death "at the hands of a f***ing nigger." The entry also noted his girlfriend's recent suicide.
While the relationship between England and Watts remained unclear, arrest reports said they shared the same address -- a home on the northern outskirts of Tulsa.
A couple arriving at the home on Sunday, who identified themselves as England's relatives, said England's father was shot to death in April 2010, and England had been left to care for his 6-month-old child after his girlfriend shot and killed herself in front of him a few months ago.
"His mind couldn't take it anymore, I guess," the man who called himself England's uncle said, adding, "I guess it just snapped his mind."
On England's Facebook page, a friend warned him not to "do anything stupid" after England posted a message Friday that read "It just mite be the time to call it quits."
"I hate to say it like that but I'm done if something does happen tonite be ready for another funeral later," England wrote.
"It's hard not to go off between that and sheran I'm gone in the head," he wrote, referring to his girlfriend. The Facebook page was taken down Sunday afternoon.
Investigators would not comment Sunday on any possible link between Friday's shootings and the death of England's father.
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