On a Sunday morning in August 2023, a domestic dispute in Owasso, Oklahoma, turned fatal, ending the life of 26-year-old Atia Kamare Fields. The incident unfolded around 11:20 AM on August 20th at a residence on East 102nd Street North. When Owasso police officers arrived, they discovered Atia Fields had sustained a gunshot wound. Emergency services transported Atia to a local hospital in critical condition, but the young woman succumbed to her injuries.
The suspect in the shooting was
identified as Atia's 28-year-old wife, Essence D. Fields. It was Essence who placed the distress call to 911, reportedly telling the dispatcher, 'My wife hit me, and I shot her'. Essence, a fourth-grade teacher at Mills Elementary School in Owasso, claimed the couple had been arguing. She told investigators that she grabbed her firearm and shot Atia, believing her wife was reaching for a gun by the bedroom door.
Upon searching the home, police found a pistol near the foot of the bed that appeared to have been recently fired, along with a shell casing on the bed. They also discovered a second, unloaded gun under the bed. A 10-year-old child was present in the house at the time of the shooting but was unharmed and released to a family member.
Following the initial investigation, police arrested Essence Fields. She was taken into custody and transported to the Tulsa County Jail, where she was booked on a charge of second-degree murder. The Owasso Public Schools district acknowledged the legal situation involving their teacher and announced her removal from the classroom, making counselors available to students and staff.
