- - Woman killed on Christmas by stray target practice bullet, police say

Mike Snider, USA TODAY December 27, 2025 at 9:41 PM

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Police say an Oklahoma woman was shot and killed on Christmas Day by a man who allegedly was shooting target practice with a handgun he had bought for himself as a Christmas gift.

Cody Wayne Adams, 33, of Comanche, Oklahoma, was arrested the evening of Dec. 25, and charged with first‑degree manslaughter in connection with the shooting, according to court records. Adams was released Dec. 26 on $100,000 bond, records show.

Adams told officers he had been shooting the Glock 45 handgun he had bought for himself for Christmas and showed where he had been shooting in his backyard, which was a couple roads over from a home where a woman had been shot, the Stephens County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook.

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The woman, identified by police as Sandra Phelps, of Comanche, Oklahoma, was sitting with family members, holding a child, on a covered porch in the city about 90 minutes south of Oklahoma City on Dec. 25, according to court records. When the group heard someone shooting a gun to the north of the residence, Sandra Phelps commented that someone must've gotten a new gun for Christmas and then shortly after that said "ouch" and collapsed, records show.

Emergency personnel responded and found Phelps had suffered a single gunshot wound in her right upper arm and the bullet had gone into her chest cavity below her armpit. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

When investigators began looking at homes near where Phelps lived, one resident mentioned a neighbor had gotten a new handgun for Christmas and neighbors had heard him shooting, records show. Investigators went to the reported address and spoke with Adams, records show.

At the scene, a Sheriff's office investigator found a Red Bull can and a small piece of ceramic tile that appeared to have been had been hit by bullets and could account for the shooting angle. When told that his target practice may have resulted in the death of Phelps, Adams "became visibly upset and began to cry," records show.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 25. USA TODAY has reached out to Adams' attorney for comment.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oklahoma woman killed by Christmas Day target practice bullet

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