Three teenagers have been arrested on charges of First Degree Murder in the senseless and cowardly shooting death of Australian Baseball hopeful Christopher Lane, according to investigators.

“They wanted to be Billy Bob Badasses,” said Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford.

Chris Lane was out for a Friday afternoon job through the small town, when the three punks saw him, followed him, and shot him in the back before speeding away in their black Ford Focus. 

“They witnessed the young man run by on the street. Chose him as a target,” said Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford.

There were no witnesses, but cops were able to put together the escape route by looking at video from security cameras installed in local businesses.  The trio, aged 15, 16, and 17-year old, were arrested within a couple of hours.  Ford says they confessed.

“Lately there has been some pretty weak motives, but I don’t know that I’ve had one that they told us they were just going to kill somebody,” he said.

Although neighbors are shocked that this could happen in their community, Oklahoma is an extremely conservative state with some of America’s most lax gun control laws. 

Chris was in America on a baseball scholarship studying business.  He’d just gotten back to the US after visiting his family in Melbourne.  His 23rd birthday would have been in a couple of weeks.