Case Against Police Officer Charged In Deadly Shooting In The Village Delayed By Judge

A metro police officer and his supporters in law enforcement will now have to wait another month to learn whether his murder case will go to trial.

Oklahoma County Judge Lisa Hammond was expected to make a decision Thursday on whether there is enough evidence to send The Village Police Corporal Chance Avery to trial.

Avery is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. He is accused of shooting and killing Christopher Poor in July 2020.

Investigators said Avery was responding to a domestic call at Poor's home. Poor was armed with a baseball bat.

Hammond postponed her ruling Thursday afternoon to give Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater more time to review a recent ruling by a Kay County judge in another officer-involved shooting case involving a Blackwell Lieutenant.

In court Prater argued Avery’s attorney, Gary James, submitted the ruling from a Kay County judge a few hours before Avery was due in court. Prater said he has not had enough time to review the judge’s ruling.

While James is representing Avery, he also represented the Blackwell lieutenant.

“A lot of pettiness went on in there, but the case is about Corporal Avery,” James said. “I think we all know where the ruling is going unless the state submits something, I don’t know what they are going to find.”

“We’re incredibly disappointed at what was delivered to our office and the circumstances surrounding it this afternoon,” Prater told News 9.

Even without the recent ruling, Hammond said she was already prepared to make a decision.

Hammond delayed the decision until 3:30 p.m. September 2.