Ground Zero Training Dog Found Body Believed To Be Involved In Garvin County Manhunt

Cadaver dog found the body matching the description of Kameron Jenkins, that was found near the scene of last week's shooting.

Wednesday, October 11th 2023, 6:19 pm

By: News 9, Anjelicia Bruton

After almost a week of searching, the manhunt for the suspect accused of shooting a Cleveland County deputy is over. Authorities believe they found Kameron Jenkins' body Tuesday close to the shootout.

The search for Jenkins went on for nearly a week. The Garvin County Sheriff said they ended the search Tuesday morning thanks to one of their cadaver dogs.

More than 100 law officers manned a command post in Garvin County to find Jenkins. He is accused of shooting a Cleveland County deputy. A bystander was also shot and killed in the crossfire.

“Our guys and OHP, US Marshalls, we haven't stopped and we're not going to stop,” Garvin County Sheriff Jim Mullett said.

One the ground with the officers was this 5-year-old Belgian Malinois. His name is Ace. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol called the Ground Zero Emergency Training Center to help. Ace spotted the body in less than 3 hours.

“We brought out the cadaver dogs and we started from the very crime scene and we started working our way. It was actually the dogs that actually found him,” Mullett said.

David said Ace is a mission ready dog, “If you went out and threw the ball 100 times, he would keep retrieving. Ace would literally not quit retrieving it until he dropped,” David said, "He's only been training for 10 months."

Authorities said the body was found in a “thicket area, “ so dense that you could walk by and miss him, “We were just in the right place at the right time,” David said.

For Ace, this is all fun and games, “We'll continue to develop his training. We're starting water search training with him,” David said, “The dog's paycheck is basically getting a toy.”

But it means even more to those close to the case, “It's to bring closure to the family regardless of the situation, but also for the law enforcement officers and agencies. They agencies were out there since last week. Many of these officers probably hadn't slept in a week,” David said.

The Manhunt

A body that matches the description of a man authorities were looking for in connection to the shooting of a Cleveland County deputy last week was found on Tuesday, authorities said.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, that body matches the description of 25-year-old Kameron Louis Jenkins.

The Oklahoma state medical examiner's office will make final determination of the identity. No cause of death has been released.

The body was found around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday with the help of a cadaver dog around 150 yards from the shooting scene. According to the Garvin County Sheriff, they found a weapon as well.

Jenkins was wanted because investigators said he shot and injured Cleveland County Deputy Sean Steadman on Wednesday, Oct. 4. A probable cause affidavit said Steadman, who is a member of the District 21 Drug Task Force, was trying to pull over Jenkins on I-35 near Wynnewood. As the suspect continued to drive, Steadman performed a tactical vehicle intervention maneuver to stop Jenkins' car. A gunfight ensured, during which Jenkins shot Steadman in the chin, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said a stray bullet also hit and killed a passer-by, Gwuan Frierson, who was sitting in a dump truck. Jenkins then ran away, investigators said.

As for Steadman, he is expected to recover. But a friend posted that the road will likely be long and painful. It's also unclear when Steadman will be able to return to work. The friend created a GoFundMe page to benefit Stead, his wife, and their three children. Click here to visit the fundraiser.

The Incident & Search

According to the arrest affidavit, Deputy Sean Steadman was reportedly trying to pull Kameron Jenkins over along Interstate 35. The situation escalated, and eventually Steadman conducted a tactical vehicle intervention maneuver and caused Jenkins to stop, according to the arrest affidavit.

The affidavit also states that Steadman stopped his vehicle, facing Jenkins when shots were fired. Steadman was reportedly shot in the chin, and Jenkins fled the scene according to the affidavit. During the gunfire, Gwaun Fierson, a person in another vehicle was shot and killed, but the affidavit does not specify if it was Steadman or Jenkins' gunfire that caused this.

According to court documents, Gwaun Frierson was shot and killed while riding in the passenger side of a dump truck. He was travelling north on interstate 35 with Julion Diaz, who was not hurt.

Authorities gathered Wednesday at three separate areas along I-35 and Ruppe Road.

Officers manned check points on Wednesday in Garvin County searching vehicles for Jenkins. There was also a tip that came in that Jenkins was spotted at a Loves gas station in Wynnewood. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s tactical team set up a perimeter around a home next to the gas station where they believed Jenkins went in to hide. Officers came up empty handed after a thorough search of the vacant home. Another search took place west of Wynnewood in a heavily wooded area and on farmland. Again, Jenkins was not located.

The manhunt resumed at the original shooting site off Interstate 35 and Ruppe road Wednesday evening. Authorities searched a wide swath, but at this hour Jenkins was not found.

More than 100 law officers manned a command post in Garvin County Thursday. The county’s sheriff said they cannot leave any stone unturned. Law enforcement returned to the shooting scene on Ruppe Road on Thursday afternoon to search for any new evidence that Jenkins may have left behind. Jenkins fled on foot after the shooting and was briefly spotted in Wynnewood on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities are not sure if Jenkins is still on foot, if he was picked up by someone or stole a vehicle.

Jenkins' body was located Tuesday after OHP conducted a search of the area. The cause of death is not yet known and the investigation is being turned over to the OSBI, according to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

About Suspect Kameron Jenkins

The U.S. Marshals Service announced on Thursday their reward of $11,000 for the arrest of Jenkins.

An arrest warrant was released for Jenkins, including four charges: shooting with intent to kill, felony murder, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and possession of a firearm after former felony conviction.

We know the 25-year-old has been in and out of Department of Corrections custody since at least 2012.

Jenkins is currently wanted for charges of prostitution and illegal use of a computer from a May incident in Oklahoma County.

Public court documents only show charges Jenkins has faced since he turned 18. But we know from past reporting, Jenkins was arrested in 2012 for trying to shoot and kill an Oklahoma City Police officer. Jenkins was only 14 years old at the time.

At the time, Oklahoma City Police told News 9 Jenkins and his mother were in a fight in the early morning hours of September 19th, 2012, over a court hearing the teen was scheduled to attend later that day.

Police say Jenkins fired several shots at the first officer who arrived at the home, then took off running. No officers were hit by Jenkins, and he was later arrested.

We know that Jenkins was arrested at least four more times between Cleveland and Oklahoma Counties.

The first public filing shows Jenkins was arrested in November 2015 for aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon. That incident was in Oklahoma County.

Just a few months later, Jenkins was arrested in Cleveland County for assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Court documents allege Jenkins struck somebody in the face with a gun at a Moore home, causing the victim to have facial surgery due to a broken and shattered jaw and a fractured skull.

Then Jenkins was arrested for a 2017 incident allegedly for felony possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana. That incident was also in Cleveland County.

He was sentenced to up to 10 years in DOC, for a concurrent sentence of the above charges. Jenkins was released in March of this year.

Then, in May of this year, Jenkins was arrested after a prostitution bust in Oklahoma City. He is facing charges for prostitution and illegal use of a computer.

According to court documents, Jenkins “Told prostitutes what to wear, what name to use, how to engage with customers, locations to work and how to set up accounts on commercial sex internet sites.”

The court issued a bench warrant on July 31st, after Jenkins failed to appear in court.

About The Victims

The man who was killed was nearby worker Gwaun Frierson who was on the I-35 widening project when he was shot, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. He worked for Pioneer Transport, which is owned by Duit Holdings.

Pioneer Transport, Inc., the company Frierson worked at, released a statement following Jenkins being found:

"Pioneer Transport, Inc. is happy to learn that authorities discovered Kameron Jenkins, the suspect involved in causing the death of our employee, Gwaun Frierson. We thank the community for supporting Gwaun's family and law enforcement for their diligent search. We express deep sadness for the loss of Gwaun."

The family of Frierson, also provided a GoFundMe link to support funeral and travel expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/home-going-of-gwaun-d-frierson-sr

Deputy Sean Steadman was shot while working on the District 21 Violent Crime Joint Task Force in Garvin County. Steadman was shot in the face, but is expected to fully recover.