Mario Vines, 48, was shot to death in an Oklahoma City hotel hallway in the early morning of February 28, 2021, one day after his birthday. Vines, a Black man from Daphne, Alabama, had been staying in the Bricktown Holiday Inn at 101 E. Main St. with his cousin, Tarius Reed; the two men were in the city for work and had spent the previous evening celebrating with dinner, drinks, and dancing.

Officers arrived around 2:25 AM and found Vines deceased. Reed was still at the scene and was taken into custody. Reed told investigators he acted in self-defense, saying an argument escalated, Vines threatened him, attacked him and choked him, and that Reed then fired a pistol. Investigators concluded that after an altercation Reed produced a pistol and shot Vines.

A judge later denied Reed’s self-defense claim, citing the presence of alcohol and firearms. If anyone has information about Mario Vines, his movements that night, or was in the Bricktown area, please share what you know.