Osage Casino Shooting Suspects Apprehended, Two Dogs Caught in Crossfire

Posted on: April 25, 2025, 10:07h. 

Last updated on: April 25, 2025, 10:12h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Two suspects are in custody following an April 12 shooting at the Osage Casino Hotel
  • A couple claims their two service dogs were caught in the crossfire
  • The Osage Nation runs the Oklahoma tribal casino

Two suspects allegedly involved in the April shooting at the Osage Casino Hotel in Tulsa have been detained.

Osage Casino shooting Tulsa Oklahoma
Malik Sampson (left) and Marquaveon Da’Shawn Goff have been booked on shooting charges related to the April 12 incident at the Osage Casino Hotel in Tulsa. The Oklahoma tribal casino is run by the Osage Nation. (Image: Osage County Sheriff’s Office)

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office quickly named 18-year-old Malik Sampson, a resident of Arlington, Texas, as a person of interest in the shooting that occurred during the early morning hours of April 12. After a weeklong manhunt, law enforcement officials say Sampson surrendered and was booked into the Osage County Jail on a $200K bond.

A second suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Marquaveon Da’Shawn Goff, address unknown, turned himself in to authorities on Thursday, April 24. He was also booked on a $200K bail.

Both suspects have been charged with shooting with intent to kill with a dangerous weapon. Sampson has also been charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Dog Dies in Casino Shooting

Police say a fight broke out inside the Oklahoma tribal casino owned and operated by the Osage Nation sometime after midnight on April 12. After responding to reports of gunfire, officers with the Osage Nation Police Department said they found a man and a woman with nonfatal gunshot wounds.

While the shooting victims survived, it was later reported that at least one service dog did not. A couple from Arkansas staying at the Tulsa casino hotel while in town to see a family member in hospice care said their dogs were caught in the crossfire.

Sara Scowden told Fox 23 that they were staying in a first-floor hotel room near where the shooting occurred. After hearing the gunshots, her husband, Blake Scowden, a military veteran, sprang into action and ran toward the gunshots. When he fled the hotel room, however, the couple’s two service dogs ran out with him.

My husband heard the commotion, the gunshots, and opened the door to help save victims. Our dogs got out and started following the suspects,” Mrs. Scowden said.

The Scowdens said Cora, one of the dogs, was trained to follow Blake. After the suspects escaped from the casino, the Scowdens realized their two dogs were missing. Cora was later found deceased, covered in blood. The other dog, Busch, remains missing.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees Oklahoma’s largest county, said the shooting suspects didn’t shoot or harm the dogs. It isn’t clear what caused Cora’s death. Busch’s whereabouts are unknown. 

18 and Up

Oklahoma has the youngest age in the country to gamble inside casinos at 18. The Sooner State is among a handful of states that allow 18-year-olds to gamble on slot machines and table games.

Other states where certain tribal casinos are 18 and up include Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, and Washington.

Oklahoma is home to 141 tribal casinos. The gaming properties, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), deliver an annual economic impact upward of $12 billion, support nearly 90K jobs, and generate about $2 billion a year in state taxes.  

Sports betting remains illegal in Oklahoma despite years of discussions between Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) and the many federally recognized tribes holding Class III gaming compacts.