A woman in Oklahoma was fatally shot while sitting on her front porch with her family on Christmas as her neighbor was testing out his new gun.
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement on Thursday, December 25, that Cody Wayne Adams has been charged with first-degree manslaughter for his alleged involvement in the woman’s tragic death.
Adams, 33, was arrested around 7:30 p.m. on Christmas, just hours after the incident took place.
At the time of the incident, an “elderly” woman was sitting on a covered front porch with her family at a home on County Road 1800 in Stephens County. She was holding a baby in her left arm and was sitting on a love seat when she was struck by the bullet, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC News.
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Before she was hit by the gunfire, the woman reportedly “commented that someone got a new gun for Christmas” as the family heard gunshots, according to the affidavit. Soon after she made the comment, she “said ‘ouch’ and collapsed.”
The bullet struck the woman in the right upper arm and it entered her chest cavity, according to authorities. Deputies and first responders arrived at the scene at about 3:15 p.m. and the woman was pronounced dead soon after.
The affidavit did not state if the child or anyone else was hurt in the shooting, ABC News reported.
The sheriff’s office said that 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.”
After they received the tip, investigators followed up on the lead and traveled to the reported address to speak to the man.
The suspect — who is alleged to be Adams — “confirmed he was shooting a target in his backyard and that he had heard that someone [had] died from a gunshot wound a couple of roads over,” according to the news release.
The man allegedly confirmed to police that he bought himself a Glock 45 for Christmas, explaining that his neighbors heard him shooting “about 20 rounds” at an empty Red Bull can in his backyard.
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A deputy then told the suspect that he believed the shooting caused the woman’s death, and he reportedly became emotional, was “visibly upset and began to cry.”
The affidavit noted that the deputy 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.”
Adams appeared in court on Friday, December 27, and was given a bond of $100,000. He is next scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on February 26, 2026.
It is not currently clear if Adams has entered a plea to the charges or obtained legal representation.
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding updates for the case.