In a tragic turn of events that unfolded on a Tulsa, Oklahoma street, 19-year-old Jeremy Lake, a Black male, lost his life in August 2014. Lake was walking with his girlfriend, Lisa Kepler, near downtown Tulsa when they were confronted by her father, Shannon Kepler, a 24-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department who was off-duty at the time. The encounter quickly escalated, leading to the fatal shooting of Lake.
The incident stemmed from Shannon Kepler's disapproval of his 18-year-old
daughter's relationship with Lake. Lisa Kepler had recently been kicked out of her family home and was staying with Jeremy Lake. On the night of the shooting, Shannon Kepler located his daughter and Lake. After a brief, heated exchange, Kepler fired multiple shots, striking and killing Lake. He also fired at his daughter as she fled, but missed.
Following the shooting, Shannon Kepler and his wife, Gina Kepler, who was also a Tulsa police officer, were arrested. Shannon Kepler was charged with first-degree murder, and Gina Kepler was arrested on a complaint of accessory to murder after the fact. Kepler claimed he shot Lake in self-defense, alleging that Lake had a weapon; however, no weapon was found on or near Lake's body.
The legal proceedings that followed were lengthy and complex, involving multiple trials. After three previous trials ended with hung juries, Shannon Kepler was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in his fourth trial. This conviction was later overturned due to a Supreme Court ruling regarding tribal jurisdiction. Ultimately, in a federal trial, Shannon Kepler was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
