Neighbor’s Target Practice Leads To Woman’s Death Half Mile Away

Stephens County authorities say the shooting began as private target practice on Christmas Day when 33-year-old Cody Wayne Adams fired a recently purchased .45-caliber handgun in his yard. Investigators allege one of the bullets left his property, traveled roughly half a mile and struck 46-year-old Sandra Phelps as she sat on a front porch holding a child.

Witness accounts and the affidavit filed by deputies say Phelps uttered "ouch" and then collapsed. Deputies were called to the scene, and she was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later. The timing and proximity magnify the tragedy for neighbors and nearby families who had no warning that bullets could reach occupied porches.

Adams told deputies he had been shooting at a can. The affidavit says that when officers suggested he may have struck Phelps, Adams became visibly upset and cried. He was booked on a first-degree manslaughter charge, later released on a $100,000 bond, and is due to appear in court on Feb. 25. Charging documents allege Adams acted with conscious disregard for the safety of others; Oklahoma law permits first-degree manslaughter charges when a death occurs without intent during the commission of a misdemeanor.

Investigators have ordered that Adams not have contact with the victim’s family while the case proceeds. The criminal filing and bond conditions reflect the seriousness with which prosecutors and law enforcement are treating a death that, on its face, appears to have resulted from negligent handling of a firearm rather than an intentional act.

For neighbors and community members, the incident underscores two practical concerns: awareness of how far stray bullets can travel and the responsibility to ensure safe backstops and clear lines of fire when discharging firearms. Shooting in populated or semi-populated areas carries a heightened risk that rounds will leave a property line, putting bystanders at risk. Families in the area are likely to want clarity on where target shooting is permitted locally and to press for measures that reduce the risk of similar incidents.

As the case moves toward court, the community will be watching for investigative findings on trajectory, distance, and other physical evidence that explain how a shot could travel such a distance and strike someone on a porch. The legal outcome will hinge on whether prosecutors can show Adams’ actions met the statute’s threshold of conscious disregard for others’ safety. In the meantime, the death of Sandra Phelps leaves a family grieving and neighbors left to weigh the risks of nearby gunfire during routine activities.