{"id":2056,"date":"2026-05-08T21:37:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T21:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/?p=2056"},"modified":"2026-05-08T21:37:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T21:37:26","slug":"5-oklahoma-county-inmates-face-murder-charges-after-deadly-hostage-situation-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/?p=2056","title":{"rendered":"5 Oklahoma County inmates face murder charges after deadly hostage situation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Five Oklahoma County Jail inmates are facing charges of first degree murder, second degree murder, and assault and battery after inmate Curtis Williams was shot and killed by officers during a hostage situation on March 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On March 27, 2021, around 4 p.m. Curtis Williams got out of his cell at the Oklahoma County Jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 4:17 p.m. Williams used the detention officer\u2019s OC spray against the officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls began rolling into OKCPD dispatch from concerned citizens who were watching the situation via a live stream on social media that another inmate had started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officers got to the jail around 4:30 p.m. but did not enter the jail until closer to 5:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 4:45 p.m. OKCPD says a second inmate stabbed the detention officer multiple times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 5:00 p.m. Williams assaulted another inmate and then began holding the detention officer hostage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police then shot and killed Williams and the detention officer falls down the stairs and is grabbed by OKCPD officers to take him to safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

William\u2019s body was then taken out of the jail around 6:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Reaction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After word spread of the situation at the Oklahoma County Jail, many came together to protest the jail. Some even calling for the resignation of Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma City Police do not run the jail nor do they typically respond to incidents at the jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some activists said they believed the situation was caused by poor conditions in the jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

County Commissioner Brian Maughan says the conditions of the jail had nothing to do with the hostage situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maughan said, \u201cthis had to do with the individual actions of the inmate, which is a risk that can occur in any jail, at any time. The inmate sadly chose his action and ultimately it cost him his life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Jason Lowe, D- Oklahoma City, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland saying there needs to be federal intervention at the Oklahoma County Detention Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Lowe said the situation at the jail is dire as 10 inmates have died since the Oklahoma County Jail Trust took over operations on July 1, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Lowe\u2019s full letter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams\u2019s mother spoke after the incident saying \u201cMy son did not have to die, he didn\u2019t have to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His family claims the poor conditions of the jail forced him to act out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe would have me and his mom call up the jail and ask them when they\u2019re going to feed them and when they going to pass commissary out,\u201d said Alyssa Wesley, friend, and mother to Williams\u2019 children. \u201cHe would tell me there\u2019s mold in the shower, there are bed bugs and roaches. He hated it there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health Conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An Oklahoma State Health Department report found 26 health violations during a yearly review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report stated there was poor infrastructure and insufficient staffing at the jail causing major issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma State Department of Health Report<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complaints from inmates were proven to be valid with the Health Department noting in its report that there was mold in several shower cells, on shower curtains. and in air vents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also noted that some hot meals were not being delivered in time and were therefore cold by the time inmates got them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jail administrator Greg Williams says he believes some of those fixes caused the hostage situation because inmates could no longer send drugs through the pipes of the building since they fixed the jail\u2019s toilets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told FOX 25 that they had intercepted three contraband drops the weekend before the hostage situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jail was given 60 days to improve conditions by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We checked back in with the jail on June 9th and they said \u201cwe believe we\u2019re on the right track. We\u2019re doing the right things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 21, 2021, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater filed charges against five inmates involved in the hostage situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory Jordan, Justin Leslie, Darius Pleasant, Marlon Craft II, and Charles Johnson were all named in the court document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prater has filed first-degree murder charges against Jordan and Leslie saying they helped Williams in the kidnapping incident leading to his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the affidavit, video evidence and statements by witnesses reveal Jordan held the detention officer against his will by using a makeshift knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n