By Tom Fink
October 28, 2009 — Claremore police today revealed details surrounding the weekend homicide of a Tulsa man in Claremore.
“At approximately 1:42 a.m. Saturday, Claremore Police and Emergency Medical Services (EMT) responded to 911 emergency calls from a residence located at 521 South Pine Street in Claremore,” said Claremore Assistant Chief of Police Stan Brown. “Upon arrival, police found the 20-year-old victim Michael Duke, on the living room floor with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
“EMS confirmed the victim to be dead,” he continued, “and the officer’s investigation determined Duke was at the residence of three other persons, one of whom was identified as Preston Adam Dohrer, a tenant of the property.”
During the course of the night, Brown said, Duke and Dohrer had been drinking alcohol and involved in “horseplay” with one another.
“Witnesses present at the home told officers that Dohrer and Duke were ‘playing around with each other’ and playing with knives,” he said. “The witness said Dohrer went into his bedroom and returned to the living room, where he then pointed a pistol at Duke’s head and shot him one time.”
Evidence at the scene indicated a weapon had been fired in the living room of the residence, Brown said.
“Investigators were able to recover the weapon suspected of use in this homicide from the residence,” he said. “Mr. Dohrer was arrested at the scene and subsequently booked into Rogers County Jail on felony charges of murder in the second degree and pointing a weapon at another person.”
Bond on Dohrer has been set at $250,000.