Alleged Tulsa killers charged with murder, hate crime NEW: Prosecutors will decide later if they will pursue the death penalty, an official says NEW: Jesse Jackson lauds the hate crime charges, but says they shouldn't be misdemeanors 2 men, identified by police, shot dead 3 African-Americans last week in Tulsa Police documents indicate that the men confessed to the shootings (CNN) -- An Oklahoma district attorney on Friday filed a host of charges -- including murder and malicious harassment, which is a hate crime in the state -- against two men accused of fatally shooting three people last week in Tulsa. They also face two counts of shooting with intent to kill related to two others who were wounded. The district attorney notes that, according to Oklahoma law, the charge infers that a person has acted "maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin or disability." The charge is equivalent to a hate crime under Oklahoma law, according to Partners Against Hate, a joint project of the Anti-Defamation League, the Leadership Conference Education Fund and the Center for Preventing Hate nonprofit groups. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking Friday outside of the First Baptist Church in North Tulsa, challenged why this "hate crime" charge is considered a misdemeanor, and not a felony, in Oklahoma. The maximum penalty for a conviction is a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Still, the civil rights leader lauded authorities for filing charges in the case that effectively asserted the victims were targeted due to their race. "We're glad that they've made that decision in the right direction today," Jackson said. The two men and one woman who died were all shot in the chest. Watts and England were arrested Sunday after tips led investigators to a burned pickup belonging to England that matched one witnesses had seen the night of the shootings. A judge on Monday ordered England and Watts held on $9.16 million bond each, pending formal charges. Local and national African-American leaders had pushed for a hate crime charge. And with the other evidence ... and some of the things that were said, that leads me to believe that this was totally a hate crime," said Henderson, whose district includes the area where the shootings occurred. Harris said this week that the community's response to the shootings said more about current race relations in Tulsa than the shootings did. Now that they're formally charged, Watts and England will appear in court Monday at which time a judge will set a date for a preliminary hearing. The maximum sentence for each charge of shooting with intent to kill is life in prison. England and Watts could face anywhere from life with the possibility of parole or a death sentence for the murder charges. First District Attorney Doug Drummond said in a press release that the prosecution likely will decide whether to seek the death penalty after the preliminary hearing is complete and before a jury trial would begin. Calling the shootings "tragic and senseless," Drummond characterized the filing of charges as a "first step to obtain justice." Jackson similarly cautioned against celebrating too early that the suspects were detained and charged, noting the legal process ahead could be long and complicated. "This is a first down, not a touchdown," he said. This is a charge, not a conviction.