In the early afternoon of June 6, 2020, Carlos Carson, a 36-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Knights Inn motel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A father of three, Carson had been a guest at the motel. The incident began after Carson reportedly had a dispute with the motel's manager concerning vandalism to his vehicle.
Christopher Straight, a 53-year-old white security guard and former Tulsa County sheriff's sergeant, responded to the situation.
Surveillance footage from the scene shows Straight, from within his pickup truck, using pepper spray on an unarmed Carson as he walked by with a cup of coffee. In response, Carson threw his coffee at Straight and moved towards the truck. A physical altercation ensued, during which Straight shot Carson in the head. Carson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the shooting, Straight was taken into custody by the Tulsa Police Department. He admitted to investigators that Carson had not made an aggressive move to provoke the use of pepper spray, stating he used it to 'deter' Carson with the intention of detaining him for trespassing. On June 10, 2020, the Tulsa County prosecutor charged Christopher Straight with first-degree manslaughter. He was subsequently arrested and later released on a $50,000 bond.
Carson's family described him as a family man who was working to overcome mental health challenges. His brother, a Tulsa police officer, acknowledged Carson's past struggles but emphasized that he did not deserve to die in such a manner. The shooting drew attention to the role and oversight of private security guards, particularly those with prior law enforcement backgrounds. Reports emerged that Straight had a history of alleged misconduct, including accusations of racist behavior, during his time as a detention officer. The day before the fatal encounter, Straight had posted a social media message dismissing the Black Lives Matter movement.
