Man Killed By Okmulgee Deputy Was Murder Suspect, OSBI Says

A man shot and killed on Wednesday by an Okmulgee County deputy, was out of jail on a $50,000 bond after being charged with killing his wife last spring.
We've obtained video of something that happened to Neuman in the Sequoyah County jail after his arrest that played a big role in his release.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says that on Wednesday, Neuman fired shots at paramedics, firefighters and officers who were trying to help him after he crashed his tractor-trailer into a pond.

And now, questions arise about why Neuman was out on bond at all since he was charged last May with beating his wife to death while his children were at home.

2/4/2016 Related Story: OSBI: Man Killed By Okmulgee Deputy Was Murder Suspect

In the jail video we obtained, Neuman is sitting at a table in the center of the screen when another inmate. He grabs a brown container and swings it right at Neuman's head, knocking him to the ground.

The inmate who did it casually walks off and acts like he's mopping. That man got 11 years in prison for assault, and Neuman was released from jail.

His attorney argued Neuman wasn't a threat, even though Neuman's wife had several broken ribs and a lacerated liver the night she died. Neuman said she received those injuries when he gave her CPR after she quit breathing from drinking too much.

Months after her death, he posted on Facebook a picture from 30 years ago, saying how much he loved his wife Tanya. He posted another on Christmas Eve, saying it was their last great year together.

But records show Neuman's 12-year-old daughter told police the night Tanya died that John and Tanya were screaming at each other and she heard thumping sounds. She said Tanya often had bruises and a black eye and John made Tanya run laps on the property, telling her she was fat.

In addition to Tanya's murder, Neuman also was charged with intimidating a witness. Prosecutors say on the way to the police station, he made his children practice being interviewed saying, "I don't know," and "you must talk to my attorney."

2/3/2016 Related Story: One Dead Following Deputy-Involved Shooting Near Okmulgee

Of course, first responders knew none of this when Neuman crashed his truck into a pond Wednesday afternoon.

OSBI says Neuman first claimed other people were in the truck, then refused to get out, then started shooting at the first responders.

They say a deputy shot Neuman, who fell into the pond and as they rushed to get him out before he drowned. Then he came out of the water shooting again, so the deputy fired once more and it was over, investigators said.

Witnesses say the deputy was a hero, because during the gunfire, when everyone who wasn’t armed was running for cover, he stood fast, saved lives and stopped the threat.