4 Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of OU Student

Four people arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of an OU student on April 23 have been charged in the slaying.

Tyrek Ladarius Turner, 20, Armani Ashanti Morgan, 19, James Arion Smith, 17, and Cody Eli Turbeville, 17, were all arrested Wednesday and booked into the Cleveland County Jail. Turner, Morgan, Smith and Turbeville have now all been charged with on count of felony murder in the first degree. 

Nathaniel Ewing, 20, was found shot in the chest in the parking lot of the Willow Brook apartment complex, located near Lindsey St. and 24th Ave. SE. He was pronounced dead at a Norman hospital early the next morning.

"No one ever expects something like this to happen," Nick Whitten said Ewing was one of his best friends. "I love the guy ... he's like my brother."

According to court documents, a friend of the victim, 20-year-old Nathaniel Ewing, had been communicating with one of the suspects on Snapchat, to buy marijuana. Neither had met prior to the shooting.

The affidavit goes on to state that the transaction was to take place at the friend’s apartment complex. When the suspects arrived, they attempted to rob Ewing and the friend. One suspect held a gun to Ewing while another put the friend in a choke hold.

A family member of Ewing released a statement after charges were filed against the four accused in the killing. Ewing's aunt Laura Fleet released the following statement:

Many lives have been forever changed by Nathan's tragic death. Our family is choosing to focus on the 20 precious years we had with him and not the last few minutes. We hope that something positive emerges from this senseless act of violence, which is why we created the Nathan Ewing Memorial Fund. Perhaps we can allow another OU student following in his footsteps to achieve their goal of becoming a pilot. We have complete trust and respect for our legal system and its ability to ensure justice is served and we also sincerely appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the Norman Police Department.