In the early morning hours of Sunday, March 23, 2014, a domestic disturbance call led to the fatal shooting of 73-year-old Gail Dean Fairless, a White male, by Oklahoma City police officers. The incident unfolded at a residence on the northwest side of the city, culminating in a confrontation that left the elderly man dead.
Four officers, identified as David Hollis II, Jeff Coffey, Jonathan Davis, and Anthony Pundsack, responded to the scene.
According to police reports, they encountered a suicidal individual, later identified as Fairless. Officers stated that Fairless had a gun and that they directed him to move away from the weapon.
The situation escalated when, according to the officers' accounts, Fairless grabbed the firearm and pointed it in their direction. In response to this perceived threat, all four officers discharged their weapons, firing multiple shots. Fairless was struck by the gunfire and died at the scene. The officers involved had between five and 12 years of service with the police department at the time of the incident.
Following the shooting, the four officers were placed on routine paid administrative leave, a standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, pending the outcome of an internal and criminal investigation. The case was subsequently turned over to the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office for review to determine if the use of deadly force was justified. The district attorney later ruled that the shooting was justified, and no charges were filed against the officers involved.
