An Oklahoma City man is facing a first-degree murder charge after authorities say a flirtatious encounter at a hotel bar escalated into a deadly shooting just days later.
Berry Russell Jr., 54, is accused of killing 43-year-old Myron Cooper following an incident that began on the night of July 23 at a hotel off Santa Fe Avenue in Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Investigators say trouble started when Cooper’s wife was seen on a livestream interacting closely with Russell inside the hotel’s bar, where loud music reportedly forced the two to lean in close to speak. Cooper allegedly witnessed the exchange and confronted Russell in the parking lot, sparking a brief physical altercation that bystanders eventually broke up, police said.
According to charging documents, Russell then went back inside to wait things out, hoping Cooper would leave before he returned to his car. While waiting, he allegedly called his own wife and told her to “come right” — a phrase investigators believe was code for asking her to bring him a firearm. His wife arrived soon after with the weapon, the documents state.
Believing the coast was clear, Russell eventually headed back toward his vehicle, only for Cooper to pull up beside him again, authorities said. Russell claims he tried running toward the bar, but Cooper caught up and struck him repeatedly in the back of the head, according to court records. Russell then allegedly pulled the pistol from his pocket and fired a single shot into Cooper’s chest.
Cooper managed to drive himself several miles before stopping to call for help near a highway interchange, where officers eventually found him in critical condition and rushed him to a hospital. He died from his injuries early the next morning, July 24.
Russell was taken into custody at the scene and is currently held at the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a $10 million bond, according to jail records.