In the predawn hours of July 13, 2023, the life of 38-year-old Andrew Lee Barton, a White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The fatal encounter unfolded at the Paladin Apartments, where police responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 1:48 a.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered Barton unresponsive on a sidewalk between two apartment buildings, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his chest.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead at 2:39 a.m.
The investigation into the death of the beloved husband and father of four quickly gained momentum. A neighbor recounted to police that about 30 minutes before the shooting, Barton had knocked on her door. Later, her boyfriend, after a brief walk to a nearby store, ran back claiming two men were chasing him. The neighbor then heard an argument and saw a gunman by the stairs with two other individuals. Moments after hearing the gunshot, her boyfriend opened their door to see Barton on the ground, who pleaded with them to call the police, saying, 'I'm gonna die.' A single 9mm casing was found approximately 15 feet from where Barton lay.
Within hours, the Ponca City Police Department identified and located a suspect. At 10:04 a.m. on the same day as the shooting, authorities arrested 18-year-old Kennis Spotted Thunder Rhodd in the 1900 block of John Street. He was initially charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. As the investigation continued, police also named a 15-year-old, Anthony B. LeClair, as a person of interest in the case.
The legal proceedings that followed brought another turn to the story. Kennis Spottedthunder Rhodd's charge was eventually elevated to first-degree murder. However, after a trial, a Kay County jury took just two and a half hours to acquit him of the charge in August 2025. His defense attorney argued that the state's case was built solely on an eyewitness statement, with no physical evidence or murder weapon linking Rhodd to the crime. The eyewitness was reportedly unable to identify the shooter in the courtroom. Following the not-guilty verdict on the murder charge, a related felony firearm charge against Rhodd was dismissed, and he received a fine for a misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer.
