Wrongful death lawsuit against OKC moved to Oklahoma City federal court

A wrongful death lawsuit filed against Oklahoma City after a deadly police pursuit has been moved to federal court.

Star Shells, a 28-year-old single mother who was pregnant with a son she named Elijah, died in 2021, when her white Chevy Impala was struck near Martin Luther King Avenue and NE 16.

Her vehicle was struck by a stolen black Ford F350 King Ranch pickup driven by Wacey Gerron Mikles, now 41, who was fleeing police at speeds reaching at least 95 mph.

Because the truck was equipped with GPS, its owner was able to give police real-time updates of its location.

After the fatal collision with Shells, Mikles entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, larceny of an automobile, possession of methamphetamine, and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years on probation, with the prison time running concurrently with a federal sentence for bank robberies committed before the deadly collision.

Shells’ mother, Connie Basco, initially filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court. The city of Oklahoma City asked for the case to be moved to federal court.

A spokeswoman for Oklahoma City has said the city cannot comment on the litigation.

Lawsuit accuses OKC police of negligence, reckless conduct

Basco is joined by a second plaintiff, Elijah Reeves, who is the father of Shells’ unborn son.

They accuse Oklahoma City police officers of negligence, reckless conduct and violating Shells' right to equal protection of the law.

“The ensuing police chase was entirely unnecessary because Oklahoma City Police Officers had access to, or could later access, information from the GPS tracking device on the stolen vehicle,” Basco’s lawsuit states.

The lawsuit claims the pursuit lasted five minutes and 22 seconds, with Mikles and police running one stop sign, and four red lights at major intersections.

A little more than a year after Shells was killed, the Oklahoma City Police Department announced changes to its vehicle pursuit policy.

Changes included the termination of a pursuit when officers know of, and can access information from, a GPS tracking device on the vehicle.

Basco is seeking damages of at least $75,000 in addition to attorney’s fees and costs.

She is also seeking damages for medical and burial expenses, mental pain and anguish, and grief suffered by Shells’ surviving children.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC wrongful death suit following police chase moved to federal court