In the autumn of 2015, a domestic tragedy unfolded in a south Tulsa home, culminating in the death of 43-year-old Tonia Todd. On the evening of Tuesday, November 10th, police were drawn to the residence near 6800 East 79th Street after receiving a chilling call from Tonia's husband, Derrick Todd, who declared his intention to kill his wife. This initiated a tense standoff, with law enforcement communicating with Derrick until approximately 9:30 p.m.
When communication ceased, officers deployed tear gas but received no response from within the house.
Early the following morning, officers made the grim discovery inside the home. Tonia Todd was found deceased, the victim of a gunshot wound inflicted by a. 40 caliber handgun. Her husband, the sole suspect in her murder, was no longer at the scene. The search for Derrick Todd, an employee of Tulsa Public Schools, led to a modified lockdown at Central High School as a precautionary measure.
The manhunt for Derrick Todd came to an end on Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart. There, he was found inside his vehicle with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head from a. 40 caliber handgun, the same caliber as the weapon used to kill his wife. He was transported to a local hospital in life-threatening condition. Prior to being found, Derrick had sent text messages to several acquaintances, including an off-duty and a retired Tulsa police officer, confessing to shooting his wife. This tragic series of events had been foreshadowed just a day earlier, on Monday, when officers had responded to a domestic disturbance at the same residence, but were told the issue had been resolved.
