Oklahoma Judge Indicted For Drive-By Shooting At Brother-In-Law’s Home
Garfield County Associate Judge Brian Lovell, 59, has been indicted for allegedly carrying out a drive-by shooting at his brother-in-law’s home in Bison, Oklahoma, while already facing eight felony gun charges in Texas, authorities said. The new charges include discharging a firearm into a dwelling and use of a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a firearm.
The Enid News & Eagle reported that the alleged shooting occurred on Feb. 12, 2023, outside the home of Lovell’s brother-in-law Kenneth Markes. Two days after the incident, Lovell claimed that the gun had been stolen from his vehicle, according to a press release from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
This is not the first time Lovell has faced legal trouble involving firearms. He also faces eight felony counts in Texas for allegedly using the same Glock 23 .40-caliber gun in a similar incident in Austin on Sept. 11 of last year. In that case, Lovell is accused of driving near Matamoros and Santa Maria streets in his white SUV and discharging a firearm approximately five times, hitting several vehicles in the area.
About an hour after the Austin incident, Lovell allegedly rear-ended another vehicle during a road rage encounter with the victim, claiming he tried to push her car into oncoming traffic. Lovell was indicted in the Austin case on Feb. 29 and is currently free on a $10000 bond.
Lovell’s lawyer Stephen Jones said prosecutors don’t have a case in response to the new Oklahoma indictment. “From our own investigation, the evidence is insufficient to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt,” Jones said. “We intend to defend the case vigorously and during the course of the investigation, the judge and Mrs. Lovell have cooperated fully.”
If convicted on the new Oklahoma charges, he could face up to 20 years in prison. The case has attracted significant attention as it involves a sitting judge accused of multiple violent felonies across two states.
