On a summer evening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the life of 17-year-old Johnece Haney was tragically cut short. The young Black/African American female was in a house in the 5400 block of North Hartford Avenue on June 17, 2017, with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Norris Deon Williams. Williams, a convicted felon who was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm, was handling a pistol in a back room of the residence.
According to reports, Williams pointed the gun at Haney and told her "don't be
scared." While manipulating the weapon's slide with the gun pressed against his palm, the firearm discharged accidentally. The bullet struck Williams in the hand before hitting Haney in the chest. The single shot caused devastating internal injuries, tearing through her lungs and heart.
In the ensuing chaos, another man present in the house, James Hall, fell and accidentally shot himself in the leg. Williams, Hall, and the gravely wounded Haney were driven to OSU Medical Center for treatment. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Johnece Haney succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Initially, Williams and Hall provided conflicting statements to the Tulsa police, claiming they had been shot while walking in a nearby park. However, the person who drove them to the hospital gave investigators the actual location of the shooting. Norris Deon Williams was subsequently arrested in connection with the fatal shooting, which was described by authorities as a tragic accident resulting from reckless conduct with a firearm. The incident marked another grim statistic in a year that was near-record-breaking for homicides in Tulsa.
