Those in attendance at the 30th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony for the Murrah Building bombing witnessed a little hiccup after a woman walked onto the platform and was quickly escorted out.
Officials feel there is no threat to the public
Dr. Susan Chambers, chair of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, opened the ceremony by welcoming the audience. Before she could finish much of her greeting, a woman entered the stage and approached a row of authorities and victim family members. According to Pastor Josue Araujo, she looked to be seeking to speak with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The pastor of First Church said he wasn’t sure how the person got on stage, saying, “Somehow security slipped up” as the program started. From there, he saw the man “speaking with a loud voice” to someone on stage.
It’s unknown who she was attempting to contact with; sources indicate it could have been Stitt or US Senator James Lankford.
The microphone on stage picked up the woman’s voice as she said, “Help me, please. You know who I am,” before being led away.
Araujo added that he stepped in to assist after noticing that the person attempting to lead her away was ineffective.
The guy held a clipboard and papers whose contents were unknown.
While she may have slipped past security, Araujo does not believe she posed a threat to safety. Araujo believes she attempted to talk to the governor.
“I just think this is someone who likely knew the governor was going to be present and wanted him to act or make a decision in her favour on something and used this as the moment,” says Araujo.
Although he remembered her name at the time, he couldn’t recollect it during the interview.
Officials with the governor’s office and law police did not have any details to give.