Tuesday, May 2nd 2023, 5:22 pm
Relatives of a man accused of killing his mother's boyfriend came to his defense on Tuesday following a deadly shooting.
Related: 57-Year-Old Killed In NW Oklahoma City Shooting; Suspect Arrested
The fatal domestic shooting on Monday night took place inside a northwest Oklahoma City home. A family member called the shooting self-defense.
Police arrested 22-year-old Treveon Grant and booked him into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a second-degree murder complaint.
According to court documents, last night was not the first time Lawson Gratts, 57, was physically violent towards Grant’s mother.
A verbal fight between Gratts and his girlfriend escalated into a physical attack Monday night.
A 911 call was made to report a shooting at the couple's northwest Oklahoma City home.
“My nephew’s intentions were to protect his mother and his self,” LaToya Richey, the accused shooter’s aunt, said. “Not for it to turn out this way.”
Richey said Grant was a good kid and not a criminal.
An arrest affidavit indicated Grant came out of a bedroom unarmed and confronted his mother's boyfriend for hitting her.
“At some point the suspect went and retrieved a firearm inside the home,” Sgt. Dillon Quirk with the Oklahoma City Police Department said. “That altercation escalated to the point the firearm went off striking the victim who died there at the scene.”
Police noted in court documents that after the physical fight Gratts no longer posed a threat to the woman. However, the accused shooter told police Gratts has hit his mother three times before.
“If either of my sons would have been put in this situation and if I put my sons in this situation,” Richey said. “I can’t say they wouldn’t have done the same thing.”
Richey said her family is still dealing with the loss of her teenage son's shooting death from earlier this year. She is heartbroken violence has once again impacted their lives.
“I hate it for all families involved in this situation,” Richey said.
Police said it will be up to the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office to decide if the shooting was self-defense.
Jennifer Pierce is an Emmy-award-winning reporter for News 9 and has been on staff since 2017. While most days, she covers crime in the metro and court cases, she enjoys telling the stories of Native Americans in Oklahoma. Jennifer is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation. She takes pride in the success her tribe and the many other tribes in Oklahoma have gained in recent years.
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