In the summer of 2019, the life of 18-year-old Malik Morgan was cut short in a violent encounter in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The young man, a former student of Union High School, was fatally shot on the evening of July 17th in the parking lot of a VASA Fitness gym located near 1st and Memorial. The incident, which unfolded during what police suspect was a drug transaction, escalated into a deadly gunfight, leaving another man deceased and one wounded.
The exchange of gunfire erupted between
Morgan and 25-year-old DeAunte McKnight. According to investigators, it is believed that McKnight fired the shot that ultimately killed Morgan. The violence did not end there, as the situation quickly spiraled. A third individual, 21-year-old Bryce Pyle, who was reportedly with Morgan for the transaction, was also shot and wounded by McKnight during the chaotic shootout.
In the immediate aftermath of being wounded, investigators say Pyle returned fire, fatally shooting McKnight. The parking lot of the popular gym became a crime scene where two young men lost their lives. Authorities believed that all the individuals involved in the altercation knew one another and that no uninvolved bystanders were harmed during the incident.
The investigation into the deadly encounter led to an arrest months later. In January 2020, Bryce Pyle was taken into custody and subsequently charged with accessory to murder for his role in the events that transpired. Police also publicly sought another individual, Achilla Gray, whom they believed may have been a witness to the fatal shootout.
