On a Tuesday morning in April 2017, a Logan County Sheriff's Deputy named David Wade was fatally shot while carrying out his duties in Mulhall, Oklahoma. The 40-year-old male deputy, a U.S. Army veteran and father of three, was attempting to serve an eviction notice at a home when the encounter turned deadly.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. on April 18th, Deputy Wade arrived at the residence and encountered three people.
As he was checking their identifications, one of the individuals, Nathan Aaron LeForce, 45, unexpectedly opened fire, shooting Wade multiple times. Even after being shot in the head and torso, the deputy managed to radio for help and return fire at his attacker. LeForce, who was not the person being served with the eviction, then stole Deputy Wade's patrol vehicle and fled the scene.
The suspect drove the stolen patrol truck for a short distance before abandoning it at a convenience store near Coyle. There, he carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint and continued his attempt to escape. Deputy Wade was airlifted to a hospital in Oklahoma City, but he succumbed to his injuries a few hours later while in surgery.
A massive manhunt for LeForce was launched, and about five hours later, he was located hiding in an outbuilding seven miles from where he had abandoned the patrol vehicle. Law enforcement officers used gas canisters to force him out, and he was arrested without further incident. LeForce, who had a significant criminal history, was charged with first-degree murder. Authorities noted his ties to the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist gang.
