[1] Late January 19, 1980, a group of local Black youths: 15-year-old Henry Lee Johnson, his 13-year-old brother Victor, and other teenage boys entered the parking lot of the club through a hole in the gate.
[3] Immediately following the discovery of Henry Lee Johnson's body, rumors began to circulate, including that the youth was severely beaten and lynched.
[5] During the riots, two men, William Mack Jr., Black, and Idabel auxiliary police officer Ruben Farmer, white, were both killed.
[7][8] Tensions were heightened during this time by rallies held by Imperial Wizard Bill Wilkinson of the Ku Klux Klan at the county courthouse in Idabel and in Oklahoma City.
[2] In September 1980, District Judge Gail Craytor downgraded Tony DeShazo's charges to second-degree murder, citing no proof of premeditation or malice.
Thad Gillis, the club's security guard, testified that he saw a nude woman standing next to the van DeShazo and his companions were in right before he heard the shots.
[12] The wounded man, Willie Warhop, filed a $4 million lawsuit against the city of Idabel, but withdrew the suit in exchange for the dismissal of charges against him for shooting with intent to kill the officer.