Willie Berry, a 56-year-old Black man from Colbert, Oklahoma, was a husband whose life was enmeshed with his local community. His death on a summer evening in 2022 would become a tragedy that deeply divided his own family, leaving them to grapple with a complex and painful loss. His wife, Sheila Berry, later expressed the hope that he would be her guardian angel, saying, "we love you Willie, rest in peace."
On the evening of Sunday, August 14, 2022, the Colbert Police Department received a 911 call reporting a shooting at a residence located at 510 Martin Luther King. When officers arrived, they found Willie Berry outside the home with a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. His wife recalled the harrowing moment, stating, “I came out and my husband was on the ground and had been shot.”
The Colbert Police Department requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to handle the homicide case.
The investigation quickly zeroed in on a suspect from within Willie’s own family: his brother, 49-year-old Darren Bradford. Shortly after the shooting, Bradford turned himself in to the Colbert police. He was arrested, charged with murder, and booked into the Bryan County Jail. The arrest sent shockwaves through their family. “Knowing that your brother is the one that shot and killed you is very hard,” Sheila Berry said at the time. “It will be very hard for not only me but his children, his grandchildren for the rest of our lives.”
One year later, the legal proceedings delivered a stunning conclusion. In August 2023, a judge dismissed the murder charge against Darren Bradford, who was then 50. The judge ruled that the shooting was a justified act of self-defense and granted Bradford immunity from prosecution.
Court documents released after the ruling detailed the events that led to the fatal encounter. According to the records, Willie Berry and his wife were involved in an altercation, which prompted her to contact Bradford and their sister. After Bradford and the sister arrived at the residence, Willie threatened to kill Bradford, and the two men got into a fight. Bradford and his sister then got into their car to leave. As they were driving away, Willie Berry shot at their vehicle. Bradford returned fire, fatally wounding his brother.
Based on this evidence, the court determined that Bradford had acted lawfully to protect himself and his sister. As of the judge's ruling in August 2023, the criminal case was officially closed, with the state having five days to appeal the decision.
