Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna on Friday announced the state would be dropping charges against seven police officers involved in three different deadly shootings in 2020.
In a press conference on Friday, District Attorney Vicki Behenna announced her office would be dropping the first-degree manslaughter charges against the five Oklahoma City police officers who shot and killed 15-year-old Stavian Rodriguez in 2020.
The officers say Rodriguez was trying to rob a gas station at gunpoint when they arrived at the scene and that he did not comply with their orders. Video footage appears to show Rodriguez dropping his gun after exiting the gas station.
Charges were also dropped in the case of the shootings of Bennie Edwards and Christopher Poor. Behenna said she spoke with the families of those killed prior to the press conference.
Behenna cited an Oklahoma statute that allows officers to use deadly force if a suspect is trying to escape or evade arrest and is believed to have committed a crime involving serious bodily harm or the threat of serious bodily harm.
Oklahoma is sending 50 National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border. Gov. Kevin Stitt ordered the deployment to support Operation Lone Star in Texas.
After a weekend farewell ceremony, 50 Oklahoma National Guard members will be deployed to El Paso.
There, they will assist the Texas National Guard with border control.
LeeAnn Tumblson is a spokesperson for the Oklahoma National Guard. She says this mission is a “force multiplier,” putting more people and eyes on the border.
"They will be manning security points and helping to identify and alert the local law enforcement of any illegal immigrant or drug trafficking activities," said Tumblson.
Stitt announced the Oklahoma National Guard’s deployment to Texas earlier this summer. That came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote state leaders asking them to send troops to the border to support his aggressive immigration initiative, Operation Lone Star.
Oklahoma Democratic Lawmakers have called the deployment a political stunt.
National Guard members will work in El Paso for about 30 days.
Congress has approved a measure to undo federal protections for the Lesser Prairie Chicken.
The legislative action, mostly with Republican support, represents rare congressional involvement in matters usually left to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The grouse, found in western Oklahoma, has been on the decline over the years. Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas was among those who spoke in support of the issue on the House floor.
"This listing creates unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on Oklahoma agriculture and oil and gas industries, and limits our ability as a country to provide for ourselves and the world," Lucas said. "This resolution ensures that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife regulations do not infringe on the property owners who live and work on their land every day."
The bird has been on and off various lists for more than a decade. According to biologists, the species has been reduced by as much as 85%.
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