On a Tuesday morning in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the quiet of the Rudisill Library was shattered by a sudden act of violence. Lundin Hathcock, a 35-year-old white male, was seated at a desk on April 18, 2023, when a man approached him from behind and shot him in the back of the head. Hathcock was rushed to a local hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The gunman, later identified as Carlton Gilford, did not know Hathcock, and the attack was described as random.
The violence did not end at the library. After shooting Hathcock, Gilford drove to a nearby QuikTrip convenience store. There, he shot and killed another man, 55-year-old James McDaniel, in a similarly unprovoked and execution-style manner. Surveillance footage also captured Gilford firing at a security guard and another individual outside the store. Authorities were quickly on the scene and arrested Gilford without further incident.
The investigation that followed revealed a disturbing motive behind the senseless killings. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler stated that the evidence suggested race played a role in the shootings, leading to Gilford being charged with a hate crime in addition to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. Gilford, who was identified as a homeless man, admitted to the killings.
In December 2023, Carlton Gilford was convicted on all charges, including two counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the racially motivated and random attacks that ended the lives of Lundin Hathcock and James McDaniel. Lundin, born in Tulsa, was a resident of Wyandotte, Oklahoma, and was remembered as someone who loved the outdoors.
