An Oklahoma man was arrested after he killed his girlfriend, a mother of seven children, when they got into an argument at a gas station.
The Collinsville Police Department said in a press release that Tyler Kendrick was arrested on Friday, July 3, and was charged with one count each of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatality, according to law enforcement.
Kendrick, 39, was arrested after he allegedly killed girlfriend Amber Rena Lee at a QuikTrip in Collinsville on July 3.
Officers responded to the gas station after they received a report about “a domestic-related incident in which a young woman was struck by a vehicle,” according to the release.
Lee, 37, was then rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Collinsville Police Chief Matt Burke told People that the couple had been “in a dating relationship,” but they were in the process of dividing up their property at the time of the incident.
Earlier on the day of the incident, a friend reportedly helped Lee return some personal belongings to Kendrick before she was driven back to the QuikTrip to get her parked car. Kendrick was waiting for her at the gas station upon her arrival, according to police.
Lee and Kendrick then got into an argument in the parking lot, according to KOTV. Additionally, Burke said the argument began because Kendrick believed Lee retained some of his possessions.
“The argument started to escalate, at which point the friend went to break up the altercation, but Tyler drove off and in the process, ran her over,” Burke told People.
Law enforcement officials believe that Lee was inadvertently hit when Kendrick backed up his pickup truck.
“We think she got hit and was pulled under by those back tires,” Burke said. “We don’t believe the suspect intended to necessarily harm her, but we do believe his negligent actions led to her death.”
Amid an investigation into her death, authorities came to believe that Lee died from a cut to an artery in one of her legs. However, they are currently waiting to confirm her cause of death from the medical examiner.
“This is a great example of why we can’t let our emotions get the best of us,” Burke told the outlet. “We have to always take consideration of other people around us and the space around us. When we let our emotions get the better of us, we can ruin lives. This is unfortunate for everybody involved.”
Kendrick was tracked down by police arrested through the use of traffic cameras and a police department drone, according to authorities.
“When that tag crossed one of the FLOCK cameras, the drone saw that vehicle coming in the exact spot, and there were two officers up in that area as well,” Owasso Police Captain Nick Boatman told KOTV. “They basically just honed in on him.”
Kendrick is currently in custody in the Tulsa County Jail on a hold from the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service. It is not currently clear if he has entered his plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest.
