NW Oklahoma City Woman Dies After Stray Bullet Hits Her While In Bed

A retired metro teacher died on Wednesday after a stray bullet went through her home while she was in bed, according to Oklahoma City Police.

The investigation is in the early stages and police said they were not sure if the shooter was walking by 72-year-old Kathleen Cade’s home or shooting from a car.

The victim’s next-door neighbor and his girlfriend recalled hearing the gunshot a week before Cade died. Geo Martinez had no idea how a bullet managed to travel into the woman’s second-story bedroom.

“It was around three o’clock in the morning and we just heard a loud boom,” said Geo Martinez, the victim’s neighbor.

Martinez never expected a stray bullet to kill his next-door neighbor.

“Miss Kathy was a very, very nice, she was a retired teacher,” said Martinez. “Yeah, no way she had any enemies at all.”

 Martinez said police responded to the 72-year-old woman's home hours after he heard the gunshot. A concerned family member called the police after not hearing from Cade all day. 

“When they got there, it appeared the victim had some kind of injury to her head,” said Sgt. Dillon Quirk, Oklahoma City Police Department. “She was conscious but taken to an area hospital.”

Doctors determined the injury was actually a gunshot wound to her head. Cade died Wednesday night, one week after the shooting.

“She was a very good woman,” said Martinez.

Martinez was baffled how someone could have shot into Cade's home. A retaining wall blocks the homes from a busy northwest Oklahoma City street. 

“It’s just very, very weird and kind of scary just to know something like that happened,” said Martinez. “That could have been anybody. It’s crazy it happened to her.” 

Martinez had this to say for Cade's family. 

“I’m hoping for them to have the strength to be like to stay strong after these hard moments,” said Martinez. 

The neighbor said Cade has two adult daughters she was very close to. One of the daughters posted on a fundraising site that Cade was a breast cancer survivor. 

Police ask citizens to call the homicide tip line or Crime Stoppers if they saw or heard the shooting. It happened near northwest 36th and Tulsa Avenue around 3 a.m. on August 7th.