Cleveland County Deputy Recovering At Home After Being Shot In Line of Duty

A Cleveland County deputy is recovering at home after he was injured in a shooting while on duty, prompting a manhunt for the suspect.

Deputy Sean Steadman, who is a member of the 21st District Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, was shot in the chin and in the shoulder, said his friend, Dakota Cook, a fellow member of the task force. 

"He sets the standard. He's at home already . He's out of [the] ICU really quickly and he's at home recovering with family and doing well," said Cook.

Investigators said 25-year-old Kameron Jenkins shot Steadman on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Steadman was trying to pull over Jenkins on I-35 near Wynnewood, a probable cause affidavit said. 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, according to the affidavit.

"I tried to get there as fast as I could but I was, I was coming from another part of the state and so that entire time was just horror and fear," Cook recalled. "We're a really small team so we're really, really close. There are only three or four of us."

The affidavit said a stray bullet also hit and killed a passer-by, Gwaun Frierson, who was sitting in a dump truck.

Investigators said Jenkins then ran away, prompting a week-long manhunt. Late Tuesday morning, investigator and a cadaver dog found a body matching the description of Jenkins in a thicket area about 450 feet from the shooting scene, said Garvin County Sheriff Jim Mullet. The medical examiner will work to officially identify the body and cause of death.

Meanwhile, Cook said Steadman is in good spirits as he recovers at home with his wife and three children.

"He is a proud father of his kids and he loves to spend time with them and go to sporting events and stuff like that," said Cook.

But it's unclear when Steadman will be well enough to return to work.

"He's pretty sore," Cook said. "There's a lot of injury to the muscles and stuff so he's got to work through that."

To benefit Steadman's family as he recovers, Cook created a GoFundMe page. Click here to donate.

"To work day in and day out with him as been a blessing," Cook said of Steadman.

Manhunt Update

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 The Victims

The other man shot was killed. He 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.

Related: 'Law Enforcement Comes Together': Cleveland County Sheriff On Recent Tragedies