Shane Rhea Shooting Incident in Oklahoma City
On October 8, 2014, a 911 call was placed at 3:42 p.m. that would ignite a series of violent confrontations at the Plaza Inn motel in Oklahoma City. The caller, a 19-year-old woman whose identity remains confidential, claimed she had been drugged and was being held hostage at the motel, located at 3200 S Prospect Ave. Initially, it was believed that another woman in the room, Bonnie Boen, 30, had made the call, but she was later arrested on unrelated charges.
The 19-year-old remained on the line for several minutes before the 911 operator notified police dispatch. The call was categorized as a "trouble unknown" call, not a Priority 1 call, which is designated for the most life-threatening situations. Police Capt. Dexter Nelson clarified that the call did not meet Priority 1 criteria because the caller did not appear to be in immediate danger. This classification would later be scrutinized given the violent outcome.
Despite the apparent urgency, the first officer arrived at the motel 35 minutes after the 911 call. Three additional officers arrived shortly after. The police department's goal is to dispatch officers within 2 minutes and 30 seconds for Priority 1 calls, raising concerns about the delayed response in this high-stakes situation.
At 4:41 p.m., officers approached the motel room where Shane Rhea, 39, Samantha Monden, 30, Bonnie Boen, 30, Erik Patterson, 29, and Randell Williams, 57, were present. A gunfight ensued, resulting in the death of Samantha Monden, injuries to two police officers, and Shane Rhea and Erik Patterson in critical condition.
Shane Rhea faced a multitude of charges, including the fatal shooting of Samantha Monden. He was led to the courtroom by Oklahoma County Sheriff deputies and entered a plea for the charges. During a subsequent court appearance on April 20, 2017, Rhea expressed remorse for his actions, stating, "I'd like to apologize today. I loved her. She was a good person. I messed up."
