Inset: Nolan Dain Engel (McCurtain County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area in Oklahoma where Engel allegedly shot and killed a friend during his bachelor party (Google Maps).
A 22-year-old groom is accused of shooting and killing one of his friends during his bachelor party at an Oklahoma Airbnb.
Nolan Dain Engel was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of second-degree murder in connection with the slaying of 21-year-old Braden Uhlmann, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), the investigation began just before 1 a.m. on April 4, when deputies with the McCurtain County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported shooting at a residence off Rockhill Circle in Broken Bow. The residence is about 240 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders found Uhlmann suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency medical personnel transported him to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The sheriff's office contacted OSBI to investigate the shooting. Agents interviewed Engel, who confirmed he was at the residence when the shooting occurred.
"Based on the information and evidence obtained, it was determined that Engel shot Uhlmann," the agency said in the release.
Court documents obtained by Sherman, Texas, ABC affiliate KXII provided additional details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting. According to the report, Engel allegedly made "spontaneous statements to arriving officers regarding himself as the shooter."
Investigators said Engel told them he had been staying at the cabin with three friends as part of a trip for his bachelor party. While inside the cabin, Engel reportedly claimed he heard "knocking noises" and saw what he believed to be a person's shadow just outside the cabin's front door.
In response, Engel allegedly fired a single shot from a 9 mm handgun.
After firing, Engel and another friend went outside, which is where they discovered Uhlmann lying on the front porch suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper chest.
It was not immediately clear whether Uhlmann was armed at the time of the shooting.
OSBI said no other injuries were reported and described the case as an ongoing investigation.
Engel was initially taken into custody and booked into the McCurtain County Jail, but has since been released after posting a $250,000 bond, court records show. He is currently scheduled to make his next appearance in court on April 28.
The OSBI said it is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting, with assistance from the McCurtain County Sheriff's Office and the Hochatown Police Department.
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