Chants of “Justice for Shed” and “Shame on Mashburn” filled the air near the intersection of Lindsey Street and Elm Avenue Saturday morning, as roughly 40 people protested the killing of Shed Euwins and the district attorney’s decision to not file charges.
Euwins was shot on April 9 by an unidentified 33-year-old male near the intersection. His friends said he was out for a routine jog around campus at the time of his death.
Michael Washington, a paralegal and local activist, wielded a bull horn and told the crowd that they will not allow Euwin’s killing to go unnoticed.
“Despite the DA (Greg) Mashburn declining to file criminal charges in this obviously unjustified murder, I want the family to rest assured that Shed would not have died in vain,” Washington said. “I am preparing a petition to be drafted to the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General John M. O'Connor. I will be asking the office to investigate the wrongful acts of Greg Mashburn for a possible cover and criminal activity.”
Washington also said they were going to try to get the state’s Stand Your Ground Law overturned, saying it gets “misapplied.” Mashburn did not file charges in this case, citing the Stand Your Ground Law.
The law states if there is a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm, an individual is allowed to use “defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm.” This includes forcible entry into a car as reasoning for deadly force.
Washington walked out into the intersection and pointed to the ground where there is still a visible stain on the asphalt and said the stain goes against what Mashburn has said about what happened in the shooting.
OU did not release a statement regarding the shooting because it was not in the OU Police Department’s jurisdiction, according to an email from a university spokesperson.
“It is not standard practice for the university to comment on law enforcement matters that occur outside of the OU Police Department’s jurisdiction, particularly when such events do not involve members of the OU community,” the spokesperson wrote. “However, the close proximity of the incident warranted a timely notification to the Norman campus via the RAVE emergency communications system.”
Following Washington’s statement, the group was led in prayer and a 36-second moment of silence to honor the 36-year life of Euwins. They released balloons at 11:26 a.m., which was Euwins’ time of his death on April 9.
Nicole Zegrati, Euwins’ former wife, said she was happy with the turnout and support for this protest.
“It feels great to know that we have a good community backing and support behind us,” Zegrati said. “We've had several people reach out, we've had different organizations reach out, we're starting to see the story go across multiple platforms in different states, which is something that we need to raise national attention. So I'm really thankful for the support and everyone that came out today.”
Zegrati also said it is important for the public to know the “inconsistencies” in the case including the family being told they could meet with the DA on April 23 at 2 p.m., but then being called at 11:15 a.m. saying the meeting already took place at 8 a.m.
The “inconsistencies” and need for answers are why this protest was held, Zegrati said.
“That's what brings us to this point today, because the family can't move forward, the community can't move forward, and we need answers and nobody can heal until those answers are given,” Zegrati said.
