On the evening of October 3, 2018, Sammy Atkinson Jr., 31, was shot and killed inside his apartment at the City Heights North Apartments on Candlewood Drive in Oklahoma City. Atkinson, a Black man who was a paraplegic and used a wheelchair, was confronted by an intruder who had broken into the residence at about 8:30 p.m. A struggle followed; despite his physical limitations Atkinson managed to get the intruder in a bear hug, but the assailant shot him in the chest. Emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene. His death was reported as the city’s 50th homicide that year.

According to the investigation, witnesses said the intruder entered demanding the return of a backpack belonging to the suspect’s brother, which allegedly contained a firearm. Police identified 18-year-old Jefferey McCoy as the suspect and charged him in the case. Friends and family described Atkinson as a caring person who had endured significant adversity, including paralysis from a prior shooting.

Did anyone in the area that night see or hear anything that could help explain how the intruder got into the apartment?