Oklahoma Man Charged with Manslaughter After Fatal Shooting During Backyard Target Practice
Cody Wayne Adams, 33, has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in Oklahoma after fatally shooting his neighbor, Sandra Phelps. The incident occurred while Adams was target practicing in his backyard, shooting at a Red Bull can. Phelps was on a covered porch holding a child when Adams fired his weapon. Investigators determined that the bullet's trajectory, fired from Adams' position, matched the fatal shot, and noted that the home did not have a proper backstop to prevent such accidents.
The Sheriff's office received a tip indicating that someone had just received a gun for Christmas and was practicing shooting towards the area where the victim was located. Upon investigation, Adams showed deputies the Red Bull can he had been shooting at.
Adams was arrested on the manslaughter charge and later released on a $100,000 bond. This case highlights the issue of unintentional firearm deaths in the United States, which, while a small share of overall gun fatalities, occur more frequently here than in comparable countries and typically involve handguns.
