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Summary: Thomas Lovelace, 41, died from multiple gunshot wounds after a dispute at a 7-Eleven in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on January 18, 2026. The altercation began inside the store with 18-year-old Deonta Walker, escalating to the parking lot where Walker fired shots into Lovelace's vehicle. Police arrested Walker, who faces first-degree murder charges.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 26, 2026 (DailyKenn.com) — An 18-year-old man faces murder charges after authorities say he gunned down a customer following a heated argument at a northeast Oklahoma City convenience store, marking one of several violent deaths that gripped the city during a turbulent holiday weekend.
Police reported that the confrontation started shortly after midnight on Jan. 18 inside the 7-Eleven near Northeast 23rd Street and North Kelley Avenue. According to investigators, Deonta Walker and Thomas Lovelace, 41, exchanged words in the store aisles. Witnesses described seeing the pair in a verbal clash, with tensions rising quickly. One account noted Walker making threats toward another person inside before focusing on Lovelace.
The two men left the building and headed to the parking lot, where the situation turned deadly. Authorities said surveillance footage and bystander reports showed Walker approaching Lovelace's car, reaching toward the driver's side, and then drawing a firearm. He fired multiple rounds—witnesses heard at least five shots—striking Lovelace in the torso and elsewhere. Emergency responders arrived minutes later but pronounced Lovelace dead on site from his injuries.
Officers launched a search for the shooter, who had fled in a vehicle. Within hours, they spotted Walker during a routine traffic stop near Northeast 29th Street and took him into custody without incident. During questioning, police said Walker confessed to his role in the killing, providing details that matched evidence from the scene. Prosecutors filed a first-degree murder complaint against him later that day, with a judge setting bond at $10 million. Walker remains jailed pending formal charges.
The shooting came amid a spike in homicides over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, with Oklahoma City recording four killings in under 24 hours—a pace police called unusually high compared to prior years. Authorities noted no clear links between the incidents, which also included a stabbing during a video game dispute and other shootings across town. Community leaders expressed alarm at the violence, urging residents to seek nonviolent resolutions to conflicts, while police increased patrols in affected neighborhoods to reassure the public.
Investigators continue to review motives, but early findings point to a spontaneous quarrel without prior connection between the men. Lovelace's family has not commented publicly, and details about his life remain limited as the case proceeds.
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