Oklahoma Man Accused of Fatally Shooting Neighbor During Holiday Target Practice

The female victim had been holding a child in her arms when she was struck by a bullet on Christmas day.

Published: 12/29/2025, 3:29:10 PM EST

Oklahoma Man Accused of Fatally Shooting Neighbor During Holiday Target Practice — Police tape cordons off a street in a file photo. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

An Oklahoma man has been charged with first-degree manslaughter after allegedly shooting and killing a neighbor while doing target practice in his backyard on Christmas Day, authorities said.

Cody Wayne Adams, 33, was booked into the Stephens County Jail in Duncan, just outside of Oklahoma City, at around 7:50 p.m. local time on Dec. 25, online records show.

Earlier that day, at approximately 3:15 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a residence in the Meridian area near Comanche, following a report that someone had been shot, the Stephens County Sheriff's Office said in an online statement.

The victim—identified as Sandra Phelps in court filings, viewed by NTD—was sitting on a covered front porch at the time of the shooting. She was surrounded by several family members, including a child in a stroller, and was holding another child in her left arm.

"The group heard someone shooting periodically 5-7 rounds over several minutes to the north of the residence," the probable cause affidavit states. "Sandra commented that someone got a new gun for Christmas and then shortly after Sandra said 'ouch' and collapsed. There were no further gunshots after this."

Phelps suffered a single gunshot wound to her right arm, and the bullet entered her chest. She was pronounced dead shortly after local authorities responded to the scene.

While conducting their investigation, deputies received information that Adams, who lived a few roads over, had recently obtained a Glock 45 caliber handgun. His neighbors told authorities that they had allegedly heard him out shooting that afternoon.

When questioned at his home, Adams told a deputy that he had bought the gun for himself as a Christmas gift just days earlier.

"Adams showed [the deputy] where he had been shooting in his backyard at a Red bull can laying on the ground to the south of his residence," the affidavit states.

"From the vantage point of where Adams stated he was shooting from towards the can, red and blue lights from Law Enforcement vehicles at the scene on Oliver Road were visibly in line with the shooting angle."

Adams became visibly emotional and began crying upon learning of Phelps' death. He was formally interviewed at the Stephens County Sheriff's Office that evening and apologized, saying "I'm sorry," the court filing states.

Adams was released on $100,000 bond on Dec. 26, and his next court date is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2026. If convicted, the felony charge carries a minimum sentence of at least four years in prison.