In the warm evening of July 25, 2020, a simmering dispute reached its tragic conclusion at the Comanche Park Apartment complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rodrick Duane Adkins, a 41-year-old man, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene near 36th Street North and Peoria Avenue. The life of a man known for his sense of humor was abruptly cut short around 9:30 PM that Saturday night.
Witnesses recounted a chilling scene, stating they saw an acquaintance, Nia Gaddis, approach
Rodrick with a shotgun and fire multiple rounds. The two men were not strangers; they knew each other and were connected through relatives. Investigators learned that ongoing tensions had been building between Adkins and Gaddis, leading to the fatal confrontation that evening.
Following the shooting, Nia Gaddis turned himself into the authorities. During his surrender, he claimed that he had been threatened by Adkins. As a previously convicted felon, Gaddis was arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. He was held in the Tulsa County Jail as the legal proceedings against him began. The case drew considerable attention due to the pre-existing relationship between the victim and the alleged shooter. Rodrick Adkins's family and friends mourned his loss, holding funeral services on August 7, 2020, before he was laid to rest at Elm Flat Cemetery in Ada, Oklahoma.
