There are various memes about black men fearing a Get Out type situation, but racially charged violence in interracial dating happens in real life, unfortunately.

Such is the case with Shannon Kepler, a former Tulsa, Oklahoma cop who fatally shot his 18-year-old daughter Lisa's 19-year-old boyfriend, Jeremey Lake.

According to the New York Post, Kepler was convicted of first-degree manslaughter after a six hour jury deliberation. The decision came during Kepler's fourth trial; jurors in three previous trials couldn't decide whether or not to convict Kepler for murder, which led the prosecution to pursue conviction for a lesser crime.

According to CBS News, Kepler's defense team claimed that the white ex-cop was trying to protect his daughter who had run away from home. According to the defense, Kepler's daughter began living in homeless shelters after her father forbade her from bringing men into the house.

According to Tulsa' CBS News On 6, Kepler's daughter testified that she and Lake were out giving bottles of water to the homeless the day that Kepler shot and killed Lake.

Kepler's daughter said that her father was waiting for her and her boyfriend when they returned home from their charity work, and that he began asking her questions, which she ignored. Lake tried to go over and introduce himself, extending his hand.

That's when Kepler fired.

Kepler told investigators that he shot Lake in self-defense after he spotted Lake reaching for a semi-automatic gun. No gun, semi-automatic or otherwise, was found at the scene.

After shooting Lake, Kepler said he didn't call 911 because "he realized he was in a pickle."

Kepler's first trials were marked by controversy. The juries for those first trials each only had one black member; this ed to accusations that Kepler's defense team was doing all it could to exclude black people from serving on the jury.

Kepler also attempted to use race in order to stop legal proceedings, arguing that he couldn't be tried in state courts because he is Native American, being 1/128th Muscogee (Creek).

His defense also argued that Lake's younger brother, who watched Jeremey being killed, and who described the shooting in vivid detail, wasn't remembering correctly, and was simply repeating what he'd seen on television.

Following the conviction, the jury recommended Kepler serve a 15-year prison stint and pay a fine of $10,000. His sentence hearing is scheduled for November 20.

Jeremey Lake

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