Bethany man gave teens gun before fatal shooting, police say

Having to be at the hospital with his wife, a Bethany man gave two teenage boys a pistol “for protection” while they house-sat for him, police say. It turned out to be a fatal mistake. The boys played with the loaded gun last month, taking pictures and videos of themselves holding it. The fun ended when one boy accidentally shot the other, killing him, according to police.

The homeowner, William Anthony Henderson, 30, now is facing a misdemeanor charge, accused of furnishing a weapon to the minors. Oklahoma County prosecutors charged Henderson last week.

Henderson told police that the “males inside of the residence were watching the place because he thought the house might get broken into,” police reported in a court affidavit. “He further stated he was at the hospital with his wife, who had just given birth.”

Henderson said the boys came to his house on July 12. He told police he provided the boys with the gun to protect themselves from burglars, documents show.

The evening of July 15, officers responded to Henderson’s house in reference to the shooting. Officers found 15-year-old Floyd Davenport IV shot in the chest, police reported. When asked who shot him, Davenport said, “I don’t know.”

The other boy, Rodrigues White, 16, initially told police there had been a drive-by shooting. White, though, later admitted he accidentally shot Davenport while they played with the pistol, police reported.

“White stated that Davenport IV cocked the gun and handed it to him, but White was not aware it was loaded,” police reported.

After the shooting, police searched

phones found at the scene. Photos and videos of the boys posing and flexing with multiple firearms were discovered, police reported.

The photos depicted both boys holding pistols and a rifle. White’s Snapchat also had video of both boys pointing guns at each other, documents show.

Davenport’s mother had got onto him in the past for recording himself with a gun, White told police, documents show.

White also told police that he and Davenport were smoking marijuana at the time of the shooting.

“There was a video of Davenport IV smoking a marijuana joint and passing it off to someone,” police reported.

Henderson said he put the pistol in a closet and told the boys to use it for protection, police reported. White told police that Henderson left the pistol on a coffee table. Four pistols and a rifle were found during a search of the house, documents show.

After the shooting, Davenport was taken to a hospital, where he died.

White was charged Aug. 6 with first-degree manslaughter. He is charged as a youthful offender. He also is charged with a misdemeanor marijuana offense.

White and Davenport are from Muskogee. Police described the boys as friends. Henderson’s relationship with the boys is unclear.