Oklahoma man doing target practice in back yard charged in fatal shooting of neighbor
a man Oklahoma He faces involuntary manslaughter charges after he allegedly shot a woman a few blocks from his home while shooting an energy drink can in his backyard with a gun he bought for Christmas.
As described in court documents reviewed by NBC NewsSandra Phelps’ death at the hands of Cody Wayne Adams shows how deadly the consequences can be for those who engage unsafely in the United States’ pervasive gun culture. According to authorities, Adams’ backyard was not equipped to prevent bullets from leaving the property and hitting unsuspecting bystanders.
An affidavit describing the circumstances of Adams’ arrest said Phelps was sitting under a covered porch with his family on Christmas and holding a child when he heard gunshots north of the house.
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“Sandra said someone got her a new gun for Christmas and a short time later Sandra went ‘ouch’ and collapsed,” the affidavit said. It was stated that there were no other gunshots after that.
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office said emergency personnel were dispatched to Phelps’ address around 3:15 p.m. Thursday. expression.
“We later received a call stating that a person had received a gun for Christmas and was practicing target practice in his backyard, which they believed indicated a crime scene,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“Investigators went to the reported address and spoke to a person. [who] He confirmed that he shot a target in his backyard and heard that someone a few roads away had died from a gunshot wound.”
According to the affidavit justifying his arrest, it was Adams, 33, who showed deputies the can of Red Bull he shot with his gun in his backyard.
Authorities allegedly concluded that the vantage point from which Adams fired was aligned with the angle of the bullet that killed Phelps. They also determined that the home did not have a suitable shot blocker to protect bystanders from stray bullets.
“When Adams learned Phelps’ name, she became visibly upset and began to cry,” the affidavit said. He was arrested on a charge of first-degree manslaughter and later released on $100,000 bail.
In the United States, unintentional deaths from firearms make up a small percentage of the nation’s gun deaths. But these things happen four times more often There are more in the US than in similar countries, and most have handguns.
