Oklahoma man firing gun in yard fatally shoots neighbor sitting blocks
away, authorities say
[December 30, 2025]
COMANCHE, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma man firing a gun he bought as
a Christmas present has been charged with manslaughter after authorities
say a stray bullet left his yard during target practice and fatally
struck a neighbor who was sitting on a porch blocks away.
Cody Wayne Adams, 33, was charged Friday in Stephens County with
first-degree manslaughter. He was booked into jail and later released on
a $100,000 bond, court records show. |
This undated booking photo provided by the Stephens County Sheriff’s
Office shows Cody Wayne Adams, who was charged with one count of
first-degree manslaughter on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Stephens County,
Okla. (Stephens County Sheriff’s Office via AP) |
|
Stephens County deputies were called to a home north of Comanche
on Christmas Day after Sandra Phelps was shot while sitting on
the front porch of a home and holding a child, according to a
sheriff's affidavit. Witnesses said Phelps said “ouch,” and then
collapsed.
Investigators determined Phelps suffered a gunshot wound, and
she was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after deputies received
the call about the shooting, the affidavit states.
Authorities contacted Adams, who told deputies he had recently
bought himself a .45-caliber handgun and had been shooting at a
can in his yard, located about a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) from
where Phelps was shot. When deputies told Adams they suspected
he shot Phelps, “Adams became visibly upset and began to cry,"
Stephens County Sheriff's Capt. Timothy Vann wrote in the
affidavit.
A telephone message left Monday with Adams' attorney, Carl
Buckholts, was not immediately returned.
Court records show Adams is scheduled to appear in court on Feb.
25 and was ordered to have no contact with the victim's family.
Oklahoma law defines first-degree manslaughter as a homicide
that occurs when perpetrated without a “design to effect death”
while a person is engaged in the commission of a misdemeanor. It
is punishable by up to life in prison. Charging documents allege
Adams engaged in conduct with a firearm that demonstrated a
“conscious disregard for the safety of others," a misdemeanor
crime in Oklahoma.
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