Broken Arrow firefighter placed on leave after allegedly pointing a gun at Keystone Lake incident

A Broken Arrow firefighter is on leave after being arrested and accused of grabbing and loading a gun because sand was thrown into his boat, according to the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office.

It happened in July at Keystone Lake. The Pawnee County Sheriff says this situation should never have gotten to this point.

Sheriff Darrin Varnell believes that anyone who holds a job in a position of public trust should hold themselves to higher standards.

The sheriff said Justin Williams, a firefighter from Broken Arrow, drove his boat to Motorcycle Island on July 28.

He says Williams' boat was anchored and a group of people with ATVs threw sand at Williams' boat, causing a heated argument.

“I was told his son was in the boat and gave him the gun. Then he loaded a round, just sat there, held the gun next to his leg, jumped back into his boat and took off,” Sheriff Varnell said.

The affidavit states that witnesses told police that Williams threatened to shoot the gun. Additionally, several people testified that Williams was drunk, according to Sheriff Varnell.

The sheriff says because Williams left, officers could not confirm he was drunk.

“We can't confirm that it was him. That's just what everyone there told us. And when one person says that 50% of the time, but six, seven, eight, nine say the same thing, you tend to think that maybe it's credible after all,” Varnell said.

Sheriff Varnell says this situation could have ended in tragedy and it could all have been avoided.

“You know, alcohol, anger and guns don't mix well… I mean, we're talking about a lot of families out there, a lot of children, a lot of people involved. If a bullet had gone off, you would never have known where or who it would have hit,” Varnell said.

Sheriff Varnell says either Williams or his son told people in the crowd that Williams was a police officer and that something like that can put all police officers in a bad light.

“What you do for a living does not excuse these actions,” Varnell said.

Justin Williams was a Tulsa County Reserve Deputy.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office sent us a statement saying:

“Justin Williams passed all required background checks and was a member of the Broken Arrow Fire Department when he became a member of the TCSO's Reserve Deputy Program on January 2, 2024. On July 30, 2024, the Pawnee County Sheriff's Office notified us that Williams was involved in a change of jurisdiction and that criminal charges were possible. Williams was suspended from the Tula County Sheriff's Reserve Program the same day. Now that Williams has been criminally charged, he will be terminated as a TCSO Reserve Deputy.”

The Broken Arrow Fire Department sent us a statement saying:

“The Broken Arrow Fire Department is aware of a firefighter who was off-duty and involved in an altercation outside of Broken Arrow city limits. An internal investigation has been initiated to thoroughly review the situation. The employee has been placed on leave pending the completion of the internal investigation.”

News on 6 called Williams for comment, but he never responded.