Inset left: Amber Rena Lee (Selfie/Facebook). Inset right: Tyler Kendrick (Tulsa County Sheriff's Office). Background: The QuikTrip gas station where Lee was fatally injured in Collinsville, Okla. (Google Maps).
An Oklahoma man is behind bars after running over and killing his girlfriend during an argument at a gas station, Sooner State police say.
Tyler Kendrick, 39, stands accused of one count each of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatality, according to law enforcement.
The underlying incident occurred on July 3 at a QuikTrip in Collinsville — a small, affluent suburb roughly 20 miles due north of Tulsa — and took the life of 37-year-old Amber Rena Lee, who was formerly known as Amber Pippin.
Officers responded to the gas station "following a domestic-related incident in which a young woman was struck by a vehicle," a press release issued by the Collinsville Police Department reads.
Lee, the mother of seven children between the ages of 3 to 18, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later died, police said.
The couple had been "in a dating relationship" but were in the process of dividing up their property, Collinsville Police Chief Matt Burke told People. Earlier that day, a friend helped the victim return some personal belongings to the defendant and then drove her back to the QuikTrip where her car was parked.
But Kendrick was there waiting when Lee arrived, police said.
In the parking lot, Lee and Kendrick argued, according to Tulsa-based CBS affiliate KOTV. Burke said the argument started because the man believed the woman retained some of his possessions.
"The argument started to escalate, at which point the friend went to break up the altercation, but Tyler drove off and in the process, ran her over," the police chief told the magazine.
Law enforcement officials believe the victim was inadvertently hit when the defendant backed up his dual-rear-wheel pickup truck.
"We think she got hit and was pulled under by those back tires," Burke continued. "We don't believe the suspect intended to necessarily harm her, but we do believe his negligent actions led to her death."
The police chief said investigators surmise the woman's death was directly caused by a cut to an artery in one of her legs, but are currently waiting for confirmation from the medical examiner.
"This is a great example of why we can't let our emotions get the best of us," Burke added. "We have to always take consideration of other people around us and the space around us. When we let our emotions get the better of us, we can ruin lives. This is unfortunate for everybody involved."
Kendrick was arrested later that same day in Owasso — the largest northern suburb of Tulsa by population — through the use of traffic cameras and a police department drone, authorities said.
"When that tag crossed one of the FLOCK cameras, the drone saw that vehicle coming in the exact spot, and there were two officers up in that area as well," Owasso Police Capt. Nick Boatman told KOTV. "They basically just honed in on him."
In comments to the TV station, the slain woman was remembered fondly by her mother, who said her daughter's life was dedicated to her children and to helping friends.
"It's just a different feeling when it's your child," the grieving mother said. "It's terrible. This is going to be hard. It's my first child. She was my best friend…More than anything, Amber wanted a life filled with love, laughter and precious moments with her babies."
Kendrick is currently detained in the Tulsa County Jail on a hold from the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.