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Oklahoma Man Charged With Manslaughter After Backyard Target Practice Kills Woman Blocks Away

Investigators point to physical evidence and the suspect’s statements to tie the backyard gunfire to the woman’s death.

Overview

  • Sandra Phelps, seated on a Comanche porch holding a child, was struck in the arm and chest and died at the scene on Christmas Day, according to an affidavit.
  • Deputies say Cody Wayne Adams, 33, told them he had been firing a recently purchased Glock .45 at a Red Bull can in his backyard roughly 0.3 miles away.
  • Investigators report several spent casings at Adams’ home and a shooting angle lining up with the victim’s location, with no adequate backstop on his property.
  • Neighbors reported hearing about 20 shots earlier that afternoon, and deputies say Adams acknowledged firing multiple rounds southward with two loaded magazines.
  • Adams was arrested on a first-degree manslaughter complaint, released on a $100,000 bond, and is due for a preliminary hearing on February 25, court records show.