In the late afternoon of February 16, 2026, a chaotic scene unfolded in a southeast Oklahoma City neighborhood that would leave a young man dead and his father in custody. Responding to reports of gunfire shortly before 6 p.m. in the 5200 block of Harmon Drive, police were met with an active and dangerous situation. There, they encountered 50-year-old Steven Saathoff, who was outside his trailer home firing a pistol. A confrontation ensued between Saathoff and Master Sgt.
Mathew Nelson, a 19-year veteran of the police force, which resulted in the officer shooting and injuring Saathoff.
Once the scene was secured and Steven Saathoff was transported to a local hospital, investigators made a grim discovery inside the trailer. The body of Colten Saathoff, Steven's 23-year-old son, was found deceased. It was apparent that the young man had sustained fatal gunshot wounds, though the origin of these wounds remains unclear. The investigation into whether they were self-inflicted or fired by his father or another individual is ongoing. In the wake of the incident, Steven Saathoff was taken into police custody at the hospital. The officer involved in the shooting, MSgt. Nelson, was placed on routine administrative leave pending a full investigation, as is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
The events leading up to the police-involved shooting and the discovery of Colten's body paint a picture of a volatile situation. According to neighbors, the incident began with Colten approaching a nearby trailer armed with a pistol. He allegedly fired at the residents and punched a woman before they were able to flee inside their home. Following this, his father, Steven, is said to have taken the gun and entered the neighbors' trailer, where he reportedly continued to fire before returning to his own residence just as law enforcement arrived. The full details of what transpired inside the Saathoff trailer, and how Colten met his end, remain part of an active police investigation. No information regarding Colten's ethnicity has been made available.
