In the summer of 2022, a fatal encounter in an Oklahoma City apartment complex parking lot cut short the life of 39-year-old Michael Crawford. On Sunday, July 24th, just after 3:00 p.m., police were called to the Mayridge Apartments located at 2805 S.W. 42nd St. following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Crawford lying in the parking lot, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
He was quickly transported to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced deceased.
Initial investigations into the shooting revealed that Crawford, a Black male, had been in the parking lot with another individual before the shots were fired. For a time, the case remained without any publicly named suspects as authorities worked to piece together the events of that afternoon. The investigation was in its early stages, and the police department's homicide tip line was open for any information that could lead to an arrest in the city's 44th homicide of the year.
Justice for Michael Crawford saw a significant development in the months and years that followed. Two men were eventually identified and charged in connection with his murder. In June of 2024, a jury found one of the suspects, Marc Owens, guilty of Murder in the First Degree. Alongside the murder conviction, Owens was also found guilty of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance. The jury recommended a life sentence for the murder charge. A second individual, Lamontta Taylor, was also charged with First-Degree Murder in Crawford's death. His case was scheduled to go to trial in August of 2024.
