In the early morning hours of March 19, 2021, the life of 51-year-old Rodney Kyle Branch was tragically cut short in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Branch, a White male, was riding his bicycle near the intersection of NW 28th Street and Woodward when an altercation occurred with a 15-year-old male. The encounter escalated, resulting in Branch being shot. He was rushed to OU Medical Center, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The events that followed the shooting took a bizarre turn.
A short time after the fatal incident, police were called to another shooting just blocks away in the 3100 block of NW 34th Street. There, they found the 15-year-old suspect from the initial altercation, who had accidentally shot himself. Investigators quickly connected the two incidents and identified the teenager, Michael Williams, as the suspect in Rodney Branch's death.
Following his treatment for the self-inflicted gunshot wound, Michael Williams was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a complaint of first-degree murder. The motive for the altercation that led to the shooting remains unclear as the investigation continues. Rodney Branch was remembered by loved ones as a generous, funny, and boisterous individual who enjoyed working on cars and tinkering with electronics. He was a graduate of Western Heights High School and a father, leaving behind a son and a daughter.
