An Oklahoma man who was doing target practice in his backyard on Christmas is believed to have shot and killed an elderly woman a few blocks from her home, authorities said.
Cody Wayne Adams, 33, has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting, court documents show.
The victim was on a covered porch with family members at a residence in Comanche when he was shot Thursday afternoon, according to the probable cause affidavit. She was holding a baby in her left arm while sitting on a loveseat when she was struck in the upper part of her right arm, according to the affidavit. The bullet then entered his chest cavity, he said.
First responders were dispatched to the residence at approximately 3:15 p.m. Thursday, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office said. She was pronounced dead shortly after, according to the affidavit. The sheriff’s office did not release the victim’s name or age, describing her in a news release as an “elderly female.”
Family members told an officer they had heard someone fire five to seven bullets for several minutes north of the residence, according to the affidavit. The victim “commented that someone got a new gun for Christmas” and shortly afterward “said ‘ouch’ and collapsed,” according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement investigating the shooting searched several residences north of the fatal shooting and found that all but one, Adams’, had “proper shooting locations or shooting locations,” according to the affidavit. Officers also received information that Adams had received a Glock 45 for Christmas and that his neighbors had heard him fire “about 20 rounds” Thursday afternoon, according to the affidavit.
Cody Wayne Adams’ booking photo.
Stephens County Sheriff’s Office
Adams allegedly told officers who responded to his home that he had been shooting a Glock 45 that he recently bought for Christmas in a Red Bull can in his backyard, according to the affidavit.
When an officer said he suspected the shooting may have caused the victim’s death, Adams “became visibly upset and began crying,” according to the affidavit. The officer also told him that “as he was shooting toward the ground in his backyard, there was nothing behind his property to prevent the bullets from traveling beyond his property and hitting anyone,” according to the affidavit. Adams’ home is located approximately 0.3 miles from the residence where the woman was shot, according to addresses included in the affidavit.
After being read his Miranda rights, Adams allegedly acknowledged that he was shooting southbound from his residence on Thursday with the Glock pistol, which had been loaded with approximately eight and then 10 rounds of .45-caliber Winchester ammunition, according to the affidavit.
Deputies arrested Adams Thursday night for first-degree manslaughter after consulting with the local district attorney’s office, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office said.
The charging document alleges that he caused the woman’s death “by engaging in conduct with a firearm that created an unreasonable risk and likelihood of death, or great bodily harm, to another person and demonstrated a knowing disregard for the safety of others.”
During his initial court appearance Friday, Adams’ bond was set at $100,000, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 26. ABC News was unable to reach Adams or his attorney for comment.
