In the early morning hours of May 23, 2019, the life of 27-year-old Dion Carr was tragically cut short in his Tulsa, Oklahoma, home. What began as a quiet night ended in a violent home invasion that would leave two men dead and another facing a long prison sentence. The incident unfolded when two individuals, Chauncey Thomas and Justin Harjo, set a plan in motion to rob Carr's residence.
Harjo drove Thomas to the home, where Thomas then attempted to enter through a window.
Once inside, he was confronted by Dion Carr. A struggle ensued over the firearm that Thomas was carrying, and in the chaos, both men were shot. Carr succumbed to his injuries at the scene, his life taken in an instant of violent intrusion. In the aftermath of the gunfire, Harjo helped the injured Thomas flee the scene.
Harjo drove his accomplice to a nearby Tulsa hospital, leaving him at the entrance before disappearing into the night. Chauncey Thomas, however, would not survive his injuries; he died three days later. The investigation into the deadly home invasion quickly pointed detectives toward Justin Harjo. A warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with the deaths of both Dion Carr and Chauncey Thomas.
Harjo was apprehended in Kansas on July 18, 2019, and extradited back to Tulsa to face justice. He was ultimately charged with conspiracy to carry, brandish, and use a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Pleading guilty to the charges, Justin Harjo was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The case, investigated by the Tulsa Police Department and the FBI, brought a measure of closure to a senseless act of violence that cost two men their lives.
