{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-732","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 21-732","heading":"Justifiable homicide by officer","body":"\n\nA. A peace officer, correctional officer, or any person acting\n\nby his command in his aid and assistance, is justified in using\n\ndeadly force when:\n\n1. The officer is acting in obedience to and in accordance with\n\nany judgment of a competent court in executing a penalty of death;\n\nor\n\n2. In effecting an arrest or preventing an escape from custody\n\nfollowing arrest and the officer reasonably believes both that:\n\na. such force is necessary to prevent the arrest from\n\nbeing defeated by resistance or escape, and\n\nb. there is probable cause to believe that the person to\n\nbe arrested has committed a crime involving the\n\ninfliction or threatened infliction of serious bodily\n\nharm, or the person to be arrested is attempting to\n\nescape by use of a deadly weapon, or otherwise\n\nindicates that he will endanger human life or inflict\n\ngreat bodily harm unless arrested without delay; or\n\n3. The officer is in the performance of his legal duty or the\n\nexecution of legal process and reasonably believes the use of the\n\nforce is necessary to protect himself or others from the infliction\n\nof serious bodily harm; or\n\n4. The force is necessary to prevent an escape from a penal\n\ninstitution or other place of confinement used primarily for the\n\ncustody of persons convicted of felonies or from custody while in\n\ntransit thereto or therefrom unless the officer has reason to know:\n\na. the person escaping is not a person who has committed\n\na felony involving violence, and\n\nb. the person escaping is not likely to endanger human\n\nlife or to inflict serious bodily harm if not\n\napprehended.\n\nB. An officer or other person acting by the officer’s command\n\nin the officer’s aid and assistance whose use of deadly force is\n\nfound during any pretrial hearing or proceeding to be unjustified\n\npursuant to this section may appeal such ruling to the Court of\n\nCriminal Appeals within ten (10) days of the ruling. Priority shall\n\nbe given to appeals made pursuant to this subsection and an order\n\nstaying proceedings shall be entered pending the outcome of the\n\nappeal. If an appeal is not brought within ten (10) days of the\n\nruling, the officer waives the right to immediate appeal of the\n\nruling but does not waive any right to assert the claim at trial or\n\nupon direct appeal.","path":["OK Code","Title 21"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os21.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"7fdf15a6f0fe310079e1d9d4d886f8ac8fec6b77a39b76b8bfc5769f25325ea6","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-731","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-21-21-733"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}