Adrian Thornton was a 20-year-old Black man who had graduated from Job Corps with a degree in culinary arts. He was just a week away from his 21st birthday when his life was taken in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. His family remembered him as a loving, kind-hearted, and funny young man.
In the early hours of August 6, 2019, police were called to the Towne Square Apartments in north Tulsa around 1:30 a.m. They found a car that had crashed into a tree near the entrance of the complex.
Inside was Adrian Thornton, who had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly determined that this was not a simple car accident. They found shell casings on the ground and learned that Thornton’s death was the city's 44th homicide of the year. A crucial piece of evidence came from the apartment complex's surveillance video, which showed the final moments of Thornton's life. According to police, the footage revealed that Thornton was shot inside his car while attempting to flee a robbery. The gunshot caused him to lose control of the vehicle and crash.
The Tulsa Police Department launched an intensive investigation. Thornton’s sister, Shemeasha Roads, later said that though she had been skeptical, the detectives promised her they would find who was responsible, and they kept that promise. The investigation led to two arrests. One suspect was taken into custody a week after the shooting. More than a month later, a second suspect, Deiondre Grundy, was apprehended in Clearwater, Florida. He was charged with first-degree murder and transported back to Tulsa.
The case proceeded through the Tulsa County District Court. On January 3, 2020, a resolution was reached when a guilty plea was entered to an amended charge of first-degree manslaughter in Adrian Thornton’s death. The plea resulted in a conviction and a 15-year prison sentence, concluding the case.
