Oklahoma Police Fatally Shoot Naked, Unarmed Black Teen Isaiah Mark Lewis
UPDATE 3:15 P.M.:
Oklahoma Officers from the same police department responsible for the killing of unarmed 17-year-old Isaiah Lewis safely arrested a white teen accused of fatally shooting his parents.
In March, Elijah Walker, 19, used a handgun to shoot both of his parents, Michael Walker, 50 and Rachael Walker, 44, while his younger brother was in the home.
When police arrived at the scene, they detained Walker with no incident and took him into custody. Walker was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, News 9 reported.
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Oklahoma police fatally shot an unarmed Black teen on April 29 after witnesses told 911 dispatchers they saw him running around a suburban neighborhood naked.
KFOR reports the Oklahoma state medical examiner’s office identified the victim as 17-year-old Isaiah Mark Lewis.
Who is Isaiah Mark Lewis?
An Edmond public schools spokeswoman, Susan Parks-Schlepp, said Lewis attended an alternative school for students who were behind in their graduation requirements.
“He had completed his coursework and was set to walk with his classmates ... in graduation ceremonies on May 18,” Parks-Schlepp told the Associated Press.
Lewis’ mother, Vicki Lewis, is distraught that her son will not get graduate this year.
"He doesn't get to graduate May 18 like he could have," Vicki Lewis told KFOR. "He didn't go to the prom."
Who called 911?
According to KFOR, a neighbor called 911 on Monday to report Lewis was acting violently. The neighbor said two women ran to their house and asked for help. One of the women identified herself as Kamri Pollock, Lewis’ girlfriend.
During the 911 call, the neighbor claimed Lewis acted violently toward the girlfriend.
"Two girls, two white ladies," the 911 caller said. "I guess the boyfriend is beating up on one of them."
At one point during the call, Pollock attempted to take the phone away from the neighbor to tell the dispatchers Lewis was not acting like himself.
"My boyfriend just flipped out," Pollock said on the 911 call. "I have no idea what is going on."
Other 911 calls reported Lewis stripped off his clothes as he ran down the street.
What happened when the police arrived?
Once police first arrived at the scene, they searched for Lewis for about an hour until they finally located him jumping over fences in the neighborhood. Edmond police spokeswoman Jenny Wagnon said Lewis then forced himself into a home in the neighborhood.
The person who lived in the home hid in another room as police followed Lewis inside.
Edmond police said Lewis began attacking the officers with his fist, which resulted in them deploying a Taser.
"Both officers were violently assaulted during this confrontation inside the house," Wagnon said during a press conference.
After Tasing Lewis, at least one of the officers shot Lewis, Wagnon said. Lewis was then rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Lewis’ girlfriend later told KFOR she saw no reason for police to be involved and that she wanted to know “what he was on.” Police said they would have to await a toxicology report to determine if he was on drugs.
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Who were the officers involved?
On Wednesday, May 1, the department identified the officers involved as Sgt. Milo Box and Officer Denton Scherman. Sgt. Box is a 17-year veteran of the force while Scherman was just hired in September 2018.
Wagnon confirmed neither officer was wearing a body camera during the shooting. However, some footage from the incident was recorded on one of the officer’s dash camera.
“Our department is in the process of issuing body cameras later this year,” Wagnon said in a statement. “There are four issued for various officers to wear while on duty as we roll out our system, but none involved in the OIS were wearing a body camera.”
How did the family react?
After the shooting, Lewis’ mother has spoken out about the use of lethal force used on her son, especially since he was not carrying a weapon.
"He was not armed," Vicki told KFOR. "He didn't deserve to die the way that he did. He didn't deserve to die, period.”
Vicki is also not in communication with Lewis’ girlfriend, in fact, Vicki said she never met Pollock before the shooting.
"I don't think it is appropriate at this time to even have any contact with that young lady right now," Vicki said.
While details about the events leading up to the shooting are still scarce, Vicki is already fighting to keep her son’s name from being smeared.
"They don't get to assassinate my son's character," Vicki Lewis told KFOR.
What is the community saying?
Lewis’ death has already become a talking point for Black Lives Matter activists in OKC and people on social media. The circumstances surrounding his death sparked conversation about the ways officers are trained to de-escalate incidents involving someone experiencing a mental or drug-induced episode.
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"I would think that a police department would be trained to handle situations like that," T. Sheri Dickerson of Black Lives Matter told KFOR.
Lewis' family is also demanding the police to release more information about the shooting.
"We want answers and we want the truth," Vicki said. "Everybody deserves to know what happened."
Black Lives Matter OKC will hold a rally this Friday evening in response to Lewis' death.
