Inset: Connor A. Kinnamon (Payne County Jail). Background: Authorities entering the Oklahoma home where Kinnamon allegedly shot and killed the mother of his child (KWTV).
A 27-year-old man in Oklahoma is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, allegedly shooting the victim in the back of the head as she held their 5-year-old son during an early morning argument on Easter before fleeing the state.
Connor Allen Kinnamon was taken into custody in Kansas and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Audrey Adams, court records show.
Prior to the shooting, investigators said the couple “had been in a verbal altercation, to the point there was a small shoving match,” Cushing, Oklahoma, AM radio station KUSH 1080 reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. At some point during the interaction, Kinnamon”s mother intervened and separated the two.
The situation reportedly continued to escalate after Adams called her own mother to pick her up, “which agitated Connor,” police wrote.
At the time of the shooting, multiple family members were inside the home.
“Connor was standing just inside the dining area facing the front door. Audrey had [their son] in her arms,” the affidavit reportedly said. “[The victim’s mother] began telling Audrey to come with her when Connor said something to the effect of shooting himself. Connor then pulled the gun and shot Audrey, who immediately collapsed onto the floor of the living room.”
Emergency Medical Services personnel responded shortly after and attempted lifesaving measures, but Adams was pronounced dead at 2:47 a.m.
Immediately after the shooting, police said Kinnamon ran from the residence through the back door, taking his mother’s Buick Regal and driving from the scene.
In a motion seeking to have Kinnamon held without bond, prosecutors wrote that he shot Adams “in the back of the head” and later confessed to killing her.
Family members reacted quickly, with Adams’ mother grabbing the couple’s young child while Kinnamon’s mother called 911 and informed the dispatcher her son had fled in her vehicle, Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV reported.
Investigators tracked Kinnamon across state lines by pinging his cellphone and were able to speak with him and talk him into stopping the vehicle.
“Numerous pings indicated that Connor was northbound toward the Kansas state line, eventually crossing into Kansas,” the affidavit said, adding that a deputy was able to contact Kinnamon by phone and negotiate his surrender as law enforcement coordinated the stop.
A firearm believed to have been used in the killing was later recovered.
“The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office secured the Buick Regal and located the suspected firearm used in the shooting inside the vehicle,” according to the affidavit. A single spent 9 mm casing was also found inside the home.
The couple’s son was not physically harmed in the shooting, police said. Authorities also noted that in an interview with detectives, Kinnamon said he and Adams had used methamphetamine in the hours before the shooting, though toxicology results are still pending.
Kinnamon is being held in the Payne County Jail without bond, court records show. He is currently scheduled to appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on May 4.
