A training lieutenant with the Duncan Police Department has been arrested and placed on administrative leave after authorities say he struck and killed a pedestrian while off duty, then fled the scene. Jarrod Bishop was booked into the Stephens County Jail on complaints of second-degree murder, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and obstructing an officer.
Bishop was off duty at the time of the crash, according to the City of Duncan, as reported by News 9. The station reports Bishop was accused of hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene, and that the fatal hit-and-run resulted in the death of a pedestrian whose name has not been officially released. Details of how the crash unfolded have also not been made public.
The Stephens County Sheriff's Department reported Bishop's booking and the complaints against him, and he was taken into custody at the Stephens County Jail, which serves as the county's primary detention facility and typically holds arrestees until an initial magistrate appearance within 48 hours, according to Jail411.
Department Steps Back From the Case
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the crash, with the Duncan Police Department assisting rather than running the inquiry itself. Handing off a criminal case involving one of its own officers to an outside state agency is standard practice; Hoodline has previously reported that independent agencies are routinely brought in to lead investigations into municipal officers specifically to avoid local conflicts of interest.
The department says it will place Bishop on administrative leave in accordance with its own policy following the arrest. Bishop holds the title of training lieutenant within the Duncan Police Department, which employs 52 certified police officers, 15 support staff members, and three animal control officers under Chief Brian Attaway, according to the City of Duncan.
What the Charges Could Mean
Under Oklahoma Statutes Title 21 Section 701.8, second-degree murder applies to killings caused by an act imminently dangerous to others that shows a depraved mind regardless of human life, and it does not require proof of premeditation, according to the Kania Law Office. The charge carries a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and a conviction would fall under Oklahoma's 85 Percent Rule, which requires those convicted of the offense to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole consideration, per Justia Law.
Separately, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that results in a death is a felony under Oklahoma Statutes Title 47 Section 10-102.1, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000, according to the Urbanic Law Firm. Neither the specific facts alleged to support the murder charge nor the circumstances behind the obstruction complaint against Bishop have been officially released.
Prior Off-Duty Scrutiny
Bishop faced public scrutiny once before over off-duty conduct. In September 2025, video footage emerged showing him allegedly placing a spectator in an unauthorized chokehold while off duty, according to OU Nightly. That earlier incident does not appear connected to this week's arrest, but it adds to the institutional questions now facing the department over a training lieutenant tasked with instructing fellow officers.
Statewide, the case lands amid concerning trends in Oklahoma traffic safety. Final 2024 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 645 traffic deaths statewide, down from 711 in 2023, even as alcohol-impaired driving fatalities rose from 177 to 225 over the same period, according to the Addison Law Firm. Separate data compiled by the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office found pedestrian fatalities in the state climbed to 106 in 2021, a 63 percent increase over the 65 pedestrian deaths recorded in 2012, per Ylla Gosney Attorneys at Law.
The identity of the victim has not been officially released, and investigators have not disclosed further incident details as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's investigation continues. Hoodline will continue following the case as it moves through Stephens County District Court.
