In the winter of 2014, the life of 33-year-old Michael Lyke, a Black male, came to a sudden and violent end in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On the afternoon of January 19th, Lyke went to a fourplex apartment on North Wheeling Avenue with the intention of collecting money he was owed. An argument broke out within the residence, escalating to a fatal confrontation.
During the dispute, it was reported that Lyke brandished a handgun.
This action prompted a struggle with one of the apartment's occupants, 22-year-old Deandre Simon. In the ensuing chaos, Simon armed himself with a shotgun and fired at Lyke, who was struck and killed at the scene. When police arrived, they found a complex situation that pointed towards a possible case of self-defense.
Investigators processed the scene and interviewed witnesses, piecing together the moments that led to the deadly encounter. While the initial assessment leaned towards a self-defense shooting, the investigation remained active. Deandre Simon was taken into custody, not for the death of Lyke, but on a complaint of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was then turned over to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office for a final determination on whether the shooting was a justifiable act of self-defense or if homicide charges were warranted against Simon. After a review of the evidence and the circumstances surrounding the altercation, prosecutors ultimately declined to file any charges against Simon in connection with Michael Lyke's death, closing that chapter of the investigation.
