Lexington mom defends son who was killed during his alleged involvement in a burglary

Little details are known about the fatal shooting on Jouett Creek Drive that left 19-year-old Oscar Daniel Wilds dead, but his mother is hoping to find out more about what led up to her son’s death.

Lexington police previously said they responded to the area in the early morning hours Monday for a report of a burglary. The police department previously said in a statement that Wilds had “forced his way into the residence before being shot by a resident.”

The Fayette County coroner declared Wilds dead on scene.

Police are investigating the incident, a process that could take months. They said all parties in the incident had been identified.

Wilds’ mother, Daena Wilds, said she will wait until the conclusion of the investigation to make up her mind on what happened, but she does not believe her son was was in someone else’s home to commit a crime.

“I just don’t want people thinking he was what they’re saying,” she said. “He just wasn’t.”

Daena Wilds said her son had been drinking that evening and got a ride with his girlfriend and another friend to a block near where the shooting occurred. Daniel Wilds had been living in the area about a block and a half away from where the shooting happened, she said.

His mother said Daniel Wilds got out of the car at one point and began walking in the opposite direction of where he was living. His girlfriend in the car believed he got out of the car to cool off or sober up.

Approximately 15 minutes later, he was killed. Daena Wilds said her son was shot multiple times in the shoulder, but she was unsure if the shots came from the front or the back.

Daniel Wilds was unarmed during the shooting, according to Daena Wilds. The shooter’s family was home during the incident.

“We don’t know what happened. Something snapped,” Daena Wilds said. “We don’t know if he was confused and thought it was his house, or if just something snapped and he thought he needed to get in that house. We’ll never know.”

Lexington police previously declined to comment on specific questions about the case.

“At this time, it is still an ongoing investigation and there is no new information for us to release,’ said Hannah Sloan, a spokeswoman for the department.

In the days since the shooting, Daena Wilds said she has seen a lot of false statements written about her and her son online that she wanted to clarify. She said she doesn’t want Kentucky’s “stand your ground” law changed. Kentucky’s self-defense laws allow someone to use “defensive force” if someone “unlawfully and forcibly” enters their residence, according to KRS 503.055.

She also said she’s not mad at the person who shot her son.

“All I want to do is change the perception of my son,” she said.

Daena Wilds described her son as a loving, funny and outgoing person who had a beautiful smile and big heart. She said he and her son talked frequently every day.

“He was just the kindest, sweetest, smiley child known,” she said.

She said her son loved animals and dreamed of being a veterinarian. She said he worked at Uptown Hounds and Village Animal Hospital six days a week.

“He used to carry the (American Kennel Club) kennel book around and read it when he was 18 months old,” she said. “He would sit on an ottoman and flip through that book all hours.”

Daniel Wilds graduated from Henry Clay High School in 2021, according to Fayette County Public Schools. He was briefly enrolled in classes at Transylvania University after graduating high school, the university said, and his mother said he was taking classes at Bluegrass Community and Technical College before he died.

Daena Wilds said her son had recently had a DUI case, but it was the only trouble he’d been involved in before.

The DUI happened 10 days before the shooting. Daniel Wilds was arrested after being found with open alcohol and marijuana inside a vehicle, according to court records. He took an intoxilizer test and posted a blood-alcohol content level of 0.131, according to his arrest citation.

He was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a fake ID, according to court documents.

Daena Wilds said Daniel Wilds had expressed desire to stop drinking ahead of his first court date, which was scheduled for Feb. 28.

His mother said she had not yet heard from the detective working her son’s case as of Thursday but she said she would speak with police. She said she trusts that investigators will do a good job investigating the shooting.