TECUMSEH, Okla. – Authorities are releasing new information related to the shooting death of an Oklahoma officer in the line of duty.
Late last month, 22-year-old Officer Justin Terney attempted to pull over a vehicle near Benson Park and Gordon Cooper in Tecumseh.
When the vehicle stopped, the passenger, identified as 36-year-old Byron Shepard, got out of the car and began speaking with Terney.
At one point, Shepard took off running into a wooded area.
Terney was able to tase Shepard, but police said he was unaffected by the taser.
At that point, officers said Shepard allegedly shot Officer Terney multiple times. Officer Terney returned fire, striking Shepard approximately four times.
They were both rushed to nearby hospitals, and Terney underwent surgery.
However, Terney later died from his injuries.
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office released Terney’s autopsy and identified what they believe killed him.
According to the autopsy report, Terney likely died from a gunshot wound to the right hip. Medical experts say the bullet traveled down and forward, exiting out of Terney’s lower right hip.
A second gunshot wound to the lower right abdomen traveled through Terney’s abdomen, and the bullet continued to his left hip. Authorities say that bullet caused a laceration to the femoral blood vessels.
The medical examiner determined that Terney’s manner of death was homicide.
Shepard has been charged with one count of first-degree murder in the case.
