Mother-Son Duo Found Guilty After Violent Shooting and Corrupt Witness Tampering

Mother-Son Duo Found Guilty After Violent Shooting and Corrupt Witness TamperingPhoto byStock Image

By Kristy Tallman, September 12, 2024

TULSA, Okla. – A mother-son duo has been found guilty by a federal jury in connection with a 2023 shooting incident and a subsequent attempt to obstruct justice by tampering with witnesses. Marco Dionte Atkins, 19, and his mother, Sidney Brook Mayfield, 39, were convicted of a range of serious crimes, including conspiracy and corruptly obstructing the administration of justice.

The incident unfolded on November 26, 2023, when Mayfield pulled into a convenience store parking lot in Tulsa, across from a local high school, with five teenagers in tow, including her son, Atkins. A verbal altercation inside the store between the teens and the victim escalated into gunfire outside, with Atkins firing multiple rounds from the vehicle and striking the victim in the stomach. Surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the shooting, including a person exiting the vehicle to pick something up before Mayfield sped away from the scene.

After Atkins’ arrest in January 2024, the legal troubles worsened. According to evidence presented during the trial, both Atkins and Mayfield engaged in witness tampering, obstructing the investigation, and retaliating against those involved in the case. Social media posts played for the jury showed Mayfield threatening witnesses, calling one a “snitch,” and revealing their identity and address. In one particularly chilling video, she declared that she would "kill anybody" who went against her or her son, vowing to "ride with Marco until the [explicit] wheels fell off."

As a result of their actions, Atkins’ original trial, set for June 2024, was delayed. The mother-son pair remained unrepentant, continuing to obstruct justice even after additional charges were filed.

The victim, who was shot once in the stomach, testified that while he had a firearm on him, he did not pull it out during the confrontation. He described collapsing and passing out on the way to the hospital, where he spent several days recovering from the gunshot wound. Tulsa Police officers confirmed that no firearm was found on the victim at the scene.

At trial, Atkins attempted to justify his actions, claiming the victim had pointed a gun at him, prompting the shooting. He also testified that someone from his vehicle had retrieved the victim's gun before fleeing the scene. Prosecutors challenged Atkins' version of events, linking his testimony to the witness tampering efforts that had delayed justice.

Both Atkins and Mayfield now remain in custody awaiting sentencing, where they face the consequences of their violent actions and subsequent efforts to manipulate the legal process.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Tulsa Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Dowdell and Kenneth Elmore.

The prosecution was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide program designed to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer through strategic enforcement. The program emphasizes community partnerships and focused enforcement efforts. For more information about PSN, visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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By Kristy Tallman, September 12, 2024
The Republic News
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Oklahoma

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