On the night of January 19, 1980, 15-year-old Henry Lee Johnson was shot while crossing the parking lot of the Black Hat Club in Idabel, Oklahoma, after taking a familiar shortcut with his younger brother and friends. The club sat in a predominantly Black neighborhood but was described as a segregated, whites-only establishment.

The shooting sparked immediate unrest. Rumors that Johnson had been beaten and lynched inflamed the Black community, and clashes between roughly 200 rioters and 150 police officers the following night left two additional people dead, William Mack Jr. and Ruben Farmer. The Ku Klux Klan became active locally and Governor George Nigh declared martial law, deploying the Oklahoma National Guard.

DeShazo surrendered, was first charged with first-degree murder, released on bond, and later indicted on second-degree murder; his 1981 trial did not include his confession before the jury, and he was acquitted. No one else was arrested in connection with Johnson’s death. Does anyone have additional eyewitness details or local knowledge that could shed light on what happened that night?