OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A man who shot and killed a burglary suspect at his business last month has now been arrested for murder.
At 1:15 a.m. on May 26, police were called to a shooting near 1800 S.E. 22nd.
Police say 42-year-old Daniel Hardwick was trying to break into a business owned by 33-year-old Larue Bratcher, when Bratcher shot and killed Hardwick.
“He was trying to break in when the business owner, who was inside the business at the time, apparently opened fire with a handgun, striking and killing the man who was breaking in,” Msgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department said.
After police arrived on scene, they discovered the business was a marijuana grow.
Officers contacted the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and OBN to make sure everything was legal, but Bratcher did not have a license to grow marijuana, which is a felony.
“It was about 480 plants, which comes out to approximately $1,500,000 of marijuana,” Knight told News 4. “Ultimately, he ended up being booked in to the Oklahoma County Jail on unlawful cultivation of marijuana.”
Bratcher’s bond was originally set at $5,000 and he was booked into jail for a complaint of growing marijuana without a license.
However, the case was presented to the district attorney’s office, which led to more charges for Bratcher, including second-degree murder.
He is being held without bond.