Tulsan Convicted by Jury of Robbery and Using a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

TULSA, Okla. - A federal jury convicted Mark Verron Callshim, Jr., 38, for Robbery in Indian Country and Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

In November 2021, surveillance video shown to the jury shows two men arriving at a convenience store in a blue Subaru Forester. One man, later identified as Callshim, is seen wearing a black hoodie with the word "savage" on the front, a black Cleveland Indians hat, with visible neck and hand tattoos. Callshim and the other suspect are seen entering the store and pointing guns at the cashier. The cashier is seen pulling money out of the register and is visibly afraid of being shot. Footage shows the cashier calling 911 as Callshim is getting back into the driver's side of the blue Subaru Forester and driving off while the other man fires one shot at the building.

Tulsa Police officers responded to the 911 call and set up a perimeter to canvas the area. A detective testified about responding to the scene where he looked for evidence and watched the surveillance footage. The surveillance footage allowed the detective to share the description of the two men seen in the footage and a description of the blue Subaru Forester. Shortly after the robbery, a citizen reported seeing a man in dark clothing abandoning the blue Subaru Forester nearby. Tulsa Police officers looked up the VIN and discovered that the vehicle was reported stolen a few days earlier. The detective contacted the victim of the stolen vehicle and explained that officers believed the vehicle was used in a robbery. The owner gave consent for the vehicle to be searched. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a partially smoked cigarette, among other things. The items were collected as evidence and submitted for DNA analysis.

The detective further testified to creating an internal tip sheet to share within the Tulsa Police Department. He described sharing details of the robbery and photos of the suspects that they were looking for. The detective received a phone call from an officer who believed he spoke with the suspect on an unrelated call, near the robbery. The detective explained that he reviewed the body camera video of the officer. As the jury was shown an image from the officer's body camera, the detective described the tattoos on Callshim as resembling those of the person seen in the surveillance footage. The detective found Callshim and interviewed him. Callshim denied knowledge of the robbery but allowed the detective to take photos of his tattoos. The jury was shown side-by-side comparison photos of the tattoos seen during the robbery, which were similar to the pictures taken by the detective.

Lastly, two DNA experts testified that the DNA collected from the cigarette matched Callshim's DNA.

Court records show that Callshim has a lengthy criminal history. He's been convicted of several crimes, including assault with a dangerous weapon, possessing controlled substances, eluding an officer, and first-degree robbery. He is a citizen of the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and will remain in custody, awaiting sentencing that will be scheduled at a later date.

The second suspect involved in the robbery is still unknown. If you have any information about the second suspect, you can submit a tip to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov/home or by calling 405-290-7770. You can also submit an anonymous tip to Tulsa Crime Stoppers here or by calling 918-596-2677.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Flesher and John Brasher prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.