On the evening of September 30, 2020, 12-year-old Roland Jones was shot in the parking lot of the Sand Hills Apartments in a Midwest City. Police and first responders arrived about 9:30 p.m. to find bystanders attempting first aid; Roland had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and later died from the injury.

Witnesses at the scene reported there had been no argument or altercation beforehand. They said a 16-year-old in the group had a handgun and that it discharged while he was apparently trying to place the weapon into his waistband, sending a single bullet that struck Roland.

In late October the 16-year-old voluntarily surrendered to Oklahoma County authorities and was arrested on a manslaughter charge in connection with Roland Jones’s death. What exactly happened in the moments before the shot remains the key question. If anyone has information about that night or knew Roland, please come forward.