Warning: Video footage may cause distress in viewers
Police officers in Oklahoma shot a wanted man in a restaurant on Nov. 12, after responding to a call that he was meeting with a woman he’d tried to previously strangle.
The caller told the Muskogee Police Department that the woman, his ex-wife, was meeting with the suspect, Andrew Richard Kana, 36. Police had been searching for the Kana.
When police officers arrived at the “I Don’t Care Bar and Grill” to try to apprehend the man, he told them: “You’re going to have to take me out.”
An officer had handcuffed one of Kana’s hands but he refused to provide the other and pulled out a handgun.
An officer shot Kana in the chest; the suspect died at the scene, the Muskogee Police Department said in a release.
The Muskogee Police Department published bodycam video of the situation, warning viewers that it contains graphic footage.
The department noted that Kana had four warrants for his arrest, including one for domestic assault by strangulation.
The other three were nationwide extradition warrants from Idaho for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and domestic assault in the presence of a minor child.
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According to a presentation by the department, the woman involved, Tsonyah Barnette, had a protective order against Kana. That order motivated officers to move into the restaurant.
“The information we were given was that he was sitting in there with a victim of domestic violence,” spokesman Lincoln Anderson told the Muskogee Phoenix.
The three officers present at the scene were placed on routine paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The department said on Nov. 15, that only one, 18-year veteran of the force, Sgt. Ron Yates, fired his weapon.
“At this time Investigators are working to finish their investigation to submit all of the evidence and reports to the Muskogee County District Attorney’s Office for review,” the department noted. The department said in the presentation released on Nov. 15, that the shooting was justified.
Yates can be heard in the footage calling for emergency medical responders to come over to treat Kana. Outside, he talks to another officer about the shooting.
“I couldn’t see his hand,” Yates said. “I couldn’t see his hand. I had one cuff on him, and I kept telling him, man, let’s don’t have a problem.” He later said, “I didn’t want to kill nobody.
Obituary
According to an obituary, Kona was born in South Korea and adopted and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma.
His family said he had a successful career in welding and leaves behind a daughter.
“Andrew took pride in his career; his friends compared his welding skills to that of a machine,” they wrote.
“He enjoyed coaching soccer, fishing, camping, listening to Christian and country music, and spending time with friends. Most importantly, he loved being a father.”