Five officers accused of shooting teen 13 times now face charges, Oklahoma police say

Charges will be filed against five Oklahoma City police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in November, police say.

Stavian Rodriguez was the alleged accomplice in a gas station robbery Nov. 23, according to Oklahoma City police. Officers shot him 13 times when he failed to follow their commands, according to police and KOKH. He died at an area hospital.

Officers Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta and Brad Pemberton will be charged with first-degree manslaughter after the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case, the police department said. They have each been with the department at least two years and have combined for more than 18 years of service.

All of the officers are on paid administrative leave.

A sixth member of the department, Sgt. Sarah Carli, was not charged because she fired a less lethal weapon, police said. The sergeant fired pepper balls, according to the Associated Press.

John George, the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police president, said in a statement he stands by the officers who were charged.

“Officers must make life and death decisions in a split second, relying on their training,” George said. “When an armed robbery suspect did not obey police commands, five officers perceived the same threat and simultaneously fired their weapons. A loss of life is always a tragedy and we know these officers did not take firing their weapons lightly. The OKC FOP stands by these officers and maintains they acted within the law.”

Police initially charged 17-year-old Wyatt Cheatham with first-degree murder in relation to Rodriguez’s death, McClatchy News reported. Cheatham “confessed to planning, preparing for, and committing the armed robbery with Stavian Rodriguez,” according to KFOR.

After robbing the gas station, Rodriguez returned to the scene because he forgot an item, KFOR reported. Cheatham retreated to an apartment complex when he spotted police, according to KFOR.

After he returned, Rodriguez was locked inside the gas station by the store’s clerk, police say. Rodriguez, who was armed with a pistol, climbed out of the drive-through window as police surrounded the building, the police report says. He was shot when he “did not follow officers’ commands,” police say.

According to KOKH, Rodriguez was shot throughout his body, including once in his head and three times in his chest.

Wednesday, the police department released body cam footage from five officers involved in the shooting. Video previously released by KOCO shows Rodriguez dropping his gun and putting his hands up before he was shot.

Cheatham remains in jail, KWTV reported last week.

“If my son’s going to be charged with murder, so should the ones be that pulled the trigger,” Amanda Totsch, Wyatt Cheatham’s mother, told the station.

This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Five officers accused of shooting teen 13 times now face charges, Oklahoma police say."