In the early morning hours of Halloween 2020, a dispute inside a Tulsa bar near 61st and Peoria escalated into a fatal encounter that claimed the life of 28-year-old Shawn Addison Miller. Born Eric Desean Swinson French, Miller, a Black / African American man, was adopted and had faced a life of considerable hardship, including periods of homelessness.
Despite these challenges, he was known for his resilience, working a variety of jobs and even participating in underground fight clubs to get by.
The altercation that began inside the bar spilled out into the street. In the ensuing confrontation, Miller was shot in the stomach. When Tulsa police officers arrived at the scene around 3 a.m., they found him wounded. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he died shortly after arrival. The incident was recorded as Tulsa's 70th homicide of the year.
The investigation into Miller's death quickly led authorities to a suspect, 21-year-old Raymond Jordan. He was apprehended during a traffic stop and subsequently arrested. Jordan was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting. The case proceeded to trial, where a jury found him guilty of Miller's murder. The jury recommended a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. In addition to the murder conviction, Jordan also pleaded guilty to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A memorial service for Shawn Addison Miller was held on December 12, 2020, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
