Inset: Cody Wayne Adams (Stephens County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The Stephens County Courthouse in Duncan, Oklahoma (Google Maps).
An unexpected tragedy unfolded on a quiet afternoon in rural Oklahoma when a woman, enjoying a peaceful moment on her front porch, was fatally shot. Authorities suspect the incident was the result of a neighbor testing his new firearm.
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office revealed on Christmas Day that Cody Wayne Adams, aged 33, now faces charges of first-degree manslaughter. He was taken into custody later that evening around 7:30 p.m.
The shooting occurred when an elderly woman, accompanied by her family, sat on a covered porch at their home on County Road 1800. According to a press release from the deputies, the woman was cradling a baby in her left arm, seated comfortably on a love seat.
Details from a probable cause affidavit, accessed by ABC News, describe the moments leading up to the incident. Gunshots reportedly echoed through the area, prompting the woman to remark, “someone got a new gun for Christmas.” Tragically, shortly thereafter, she uttered “ouch” and then collapsed, the affidavit states.
The woman was holding a baby in her left arm and sitting on a love seat, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC News.
Gunshots are believed to have rang out in the area, and the woman “commented that someone got a new gun for Christmas,” according to the affidavit. Not long after, however, the woman “said ‘ouch’ and collapsed.”
The woman had been shot – with the bullet entering her right upper arm and entering her chest, authorities said. Deputies and first responders arrived at the scene at about 3:15 p.m., and noticed the victim had a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead soon after.
There was no indication the child or anyone else was hurt.
Deputies “later received a call stating an individual had just received a gun for Christmas and was target practicing in his backyard and that they believed it would be pointing in the direction of the scene,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators followed up on the lead — traveling to the reported address, and spoke with the man there.
The man – alleged to be Adams – “confirmed he was shooting a target in his backyard and that he had heard that someone has died from a gunshot wound a couple of roads over,” the law enforcement agency said.
Investigators also reportedly learned that he had bought himself a Glock 45 for Christmas – and that his neighbors had heard him shooting “about 20 rounds” Thursday afternoon at a Red Bull can in his backyard.
A deputy was blunt with the suspect, according to ABC News, telling him he believed his shooting may have caused the woman’s death.
Adams reportedly responded emotionally; he was “visibly upset and began to cry.”
The deputy further said that “while he was shooting towards the ground in his backyard that there was nothing behind his property to stop any bullets from traveling beyond his property and hurting someone,” according to the affidavit.
Adams appeared in court on Friday and was given a bond of $100,000. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 26, 2026.
