Roy Richard Lavelle Thornton, an 18-year-old Black/African American male, was killed by gunfire in Muskogee, Oklahoma on October 26, 2022. Officers responding to a shooting in the 800 block of South York Street found two people injured. A 16-year-old male was taken to a local hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening. Thornton suffered a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Muskogee Police Department opened a homicide investigation. Investigators worked to determine what led to the shooting, and as of the day after the incident no arrests had been made. Family and friends mourned Thornton’s death and remembered him as a cherished presence in their lives.

If anyone saw activity in the southeastern part of Muskogee near South York Street on October 26, 2022, or has information about this shooting, please come forward.