In the evening hours of November 23, 2020, a 15-year-old male named Stavian Rodriguez was involved in an armed robbery at a convenience store on the south side of Oklahoma City. His accomplice, 16-year-old Wyatt Cheatham, was with him during the botched robbery. The events that unfolded would end with Rodriguez’s death after being shot 13 times by Oklahoma City police officers.
Responding to a call about the robbery, police arrived to find that the store clerk had locked Rodriguez
inside. He was commanded to exit the building, and as he climbed out of the drive-thru window, he was surrounded by officers. Video from the scene showed Rodriguez dropping a handgun, after which he reached for the waistband of his pants. It was at this moment that one officer fired a 'less lethal' round, followed almost immediately by five other officers firing their weapons. An autopsy would later confirm that Rodriguez had been struck 13 times from his head to his feet. A search of his body at the scene revealed he had no other weapons; a cellphone was found in his pocket.
In the aftermath of the shooting, five of the officers, identified as Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta, and Brad Pemberton, were charged with first-degree manslaughter in March 2021. The district attorney at the time, David Prater, alleged that the officers 'willfully, unlawfully, and unnecessarily killed Stavian Rodriguez.' However, in 2023, the new district attorney, Vicki Behenna, dismissed all charges against the officers. Rodriguez's accomplice, Wyatt Cheatham, was arrested and later charged with murder in connection with the robbery.
The family of Stavian Rodriguez filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Oklahoma City in December 2020. In January 2025, the Oklahoma City Council voted to settle the lawsuit, agreeing to pay the family $875,000. As part of the settlement, the city did not admit any liability in the death of Stavian Rodriguez. The five officers who were charged remained on paid administrative leave throughout the legal proceedings.
