In the small city of Hugo, Oklahoma, the life of 19-year-old Noah Allan Shoemake was tragically cut short on the evening of January 25, 2021. That night, officers from the Hugo Police Department were dispatched to the 200 block of Rosewood following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered that Noah Shoemake had sustained a gunshot wound.
Despite immediate medical attention, he succumbed to his injuries.
Noah, who was born on September 12, 2001, in Vinita, Oklahoma, was a resident of Antlers and was known for his love of the outdoors, including hunting, fishing, and riding dirt bikes. He was an employee at Antlers Motorsports and enjoyed creating music with his friends. His sudden and violent death sent shockwaves through his community, leaving his family and friends to grapple with the senseless loss.
The investigation into Noah's death quickly pointed to a sinister motive. Authorities characterized the shooting as an 'assassination-style' attack, which they believed stemmed from a drug deal that had gone awry. This led investigators to a suspect, Kevion Kentrel Wallace, who was a 17-year-old student at Hugo High School at the time. An arrest warrant was issued, and Wallace was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with Noah's death. He was held without bond in a juvenile detention facility.
However, the legal proceedings took an unexpected turn. In May 2021, the first-degree murder case against Kevion Wallace in Choctaw County was dismissed. The dismissal was not based on the merits of the case but rather on a jurisdictional issue. The court was notified of a lack of jurisdiction under the McGirt notice, a Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the reservation status of a large portion of eastern Oklahoma and impacted the prosecution of crimes involving Native Americans in that territory.
