Man threatens massacre at church he says destroyed his marriage, Oklahoma cops say

An Oklahoma man is accused of threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a church he blames for causing his marital problems, according to Tulsa police.

On Saturday, Feb. 3, police received a call from a member of the church saying a man, identified as Ruben Marquez, told him some disturbing things when they saw each other at a gas station, the Tulsa Police Department said in a Feb. 5 news release.

Marquez told the man he was going to massacre the church’s congregation, and wanted to “kill everyone” there, “including women and children,” police said.

It’s a threat Marquez had made before, investigators later learned, as the same church member who called police about Marquez on Saturday also alerted the department about him in January.

Police say Marquez has a vendetta against the church because he believes it’s responsible for “breaking up his marriage.”

Marquez was arrested at his home, which police say is “not far from the church.”

Records show he was booked into the Tulsa County Jail at 8:22 p.m. Feb. 3, on a charge of threatening a violent act, but was released Feb. 6 after posting a $10,000 bond.

This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Man threatens massacre at church he says destroyed his marriage, Oklahoma cops say."