Deaf woman fatally shoots alleged home intruder in self defense
[Transcript] On Sunday, September 22nd, in Rock Island, Oklahoma, a 62-year-old deaf woman shot and killed a 30-year-old man who allegedly broke into her home.
The man’s name is Matthew A. Harvey. The woman has not been identified. One source who is a part of the deaf community in the nearby area said they do not know the woman, so it appears to be a non-signing deaf woman.
According to local news, Harvey entered the woman’s home at about 5:30pm. The woman saw him enter and began yelling for him to leave. Harvey went in the kitchen and the woman ran to her bedroom to get her shotgun. The woman went back to the kitchen and began yelling again for Harvey to leave. Harvey went towards the woman and she fired one round, hitting him in the chest.
The woman immediately called 911. When law enforcement arrived, Harvey was pronounced dead on the scene. She explained to the investigators that she has never seen him before.
We reached out to the sheriff’s office in Rock Island and talked with Sheriff Rob Seale. He said that they will not release the woman’s identity due to safety. The woman has been getting threats, possibly from Harvey’s family members and friends.
Sheriff Seale mentioned that the Le Flore County District Attorney will make the final decision based on Oklahoma state law on whether there will be criminal charges or not. Once the decision is made then Sheriff Seale will make a public announcement.
There is a GoFundMe page for the woman to raise support for her needs of getting a counselor and fixing/cleaning up the kitchen floor, cabinets, and walls that were ruined after the shot. A neighbor of hers set it up and also did not identify her, only describing her as an elderly, hearing impaired woman who lives alone on a limited income.
A private funeral ceremony for Harvey will be held by the family at a later date.
The LeFlore County Sheriff’s Department said that Harvey has a lengthy criminal history in both Arkansas and Oklahoma with property and drug related crimes.
https://5newsonline.com/2019/09/24/suspect-identified-in-deadly-leflore-county-home-invasion-shooting/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/hearing-impaired-woman-fatally-shoots-home-intruder-in-oklahoma
https://www.gofundme.com/f/elderly-woman-recovering-from-home-invader?rcid=r01-156990377773-5314637889114af3&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w&fbclid=IwAR2pBu-WAEWnpdFPQiEXxI_8qMLq7AcKYpYUlBAm23V_ks7kcn4OPjljI7I
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