HARTSHORNE — A rural county in southeast Oklahoma is rallying around three families after separate accidents claimed the lives of two first responders and a volunteer at a street racing event.
Justin Faulkner, 42, died Oct. 31, while volunteering to help set up for the H-Town Throwdown, an annual series of street races.
Faulkner, a former Hartshorne firefighter and the husband of Hartshorne Mayor Ashley Faulkner, had been helping set up lighting for the races Friday, the mayor said in a Facebook post. She said the back of a light tower was close to an electrical line, and he did not realize it. When the light tower hit the line, he was electrocuted.
The next day, two first responders were killed during one of the drag races. On Monday, McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management director Leonard Baughman identified the two men killed as Jim McCoy and Clint Lawrence. Video of the fatal race shows a black modified Volkswagen Beetle lose control, veer right and strike a tree in an area where first responders were staged. McCoy, 60, and Lawrence, 58, were killed.
Baughman said McCoy served as the Alderson Fire Department’s fire chief for eight years. He said Lawrence worked as a Haileyville police officer, recently completing certification with the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.
Hartshorne Area Chamber of Commerce president Heather Moore said the pain of the weekend’s tragedies is being felt throughout Pittsburg County.
“We’re heartbroken over the loss of three incredible men who truly were the heart of our communities,” Moore said. “They were volunteers who gave their time, their energy and their hearts to serve others.”
Moore said the outpouring of love and support for the families of those lost has been overwhelming. The community held a candlelight vigil Sunday night, and firefighters from the Hartshorne Fire Department delivered food to all three families.
“The (Hartshorne) Community Center is also bringing in trained personnel to offer a community care station, providing emotional support and resources for anyone who is struggling,” Moore said. “Everywhere you look, you see neighbors stepping up for one another. It’s a reminder of how strong our small towns really are, and just how deeply these three men were loved by everyone who knew them.”
Hartshorne Public Schools Superintendent Jason Lindley said in a press release that nothing can prepare people for the kind of loss many in the community are feeling. He said staff members observed students Monday and checked on one another to start the healing process.
“We want to extend our deepest appreciation to the families of these servants,” Lindley said. “It’s our sincere hope that you can find some comfort in the fact these men meant so much to so many.”
The school district closed today to prepare for Justin Faulkner’s funeral at the elementary school’s event center and to allow staff attendance. Lindley also thanked rival Wilburton Public Schools for honoring those lost by announcing their plans to wear Hartshorne’s pick-and-axe logo on their football helmets for their Nov. 7 game against Morris.
Event volunteer: Races were ‘something truly special’
The H-Town Throwdown began June 9, 2018, after Hartshorne city councilors approved street races on Apollo Street at the city’s northern edge.
“It all started with some good minds coming together,” said Haileyville Mayor Catherine Bailey, who also volunteers as part of the race crew. “Before long, a handful of dedicated individuals gathered, pouring their time, sweat and love into what became something truly special.”
Organizers told the McAlester News-Capital in 2018 that several locals helped bring the event to life with then–Councilwoman Ashley Faulkner proposing it to the Hartshorne City Council.
“I just wanted to be involved in starting an event in Hartshorne — working and doing what I can to help out,” Faulkner told the News-Capital in 2018. “These street races symbolize a new era in Hartshorne. (I) hope it shows that we are working to rebuild and move forward in a positive direction.”
The races became a rallying point for the community after a damning audit released in 2017 revealed that more than $1.7 million of collected utility revenue had never been deposited into city accounts, leaving Hartshorne with financial stress and low morale.
Gate fees collected at the races went back to the city, with councilors determining how to distribute funds. Since 2018, race organizers have raised money for local organizations and projects, hosted toy drives and held Halloween trunk-or-treats for children.
“Every dollar raised at the gate had purpose, supporting our local fire and police departments, helping create a scholarship for a (high school) senior who gave their all to the H-Town Throwdown and giving back to nonprofits and the Hartshorne City Park and Rec Fund,” Bailey said. “It wasn’t just about the races, it was about community, connection and giving back.”
The drag races in Hartshorne even drew some national attention, with an episode of the Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaws show filmed at the track.
Last year, organizers announced on social media that the event would be ending after the Oct. 26, 2024, race owing to rising costs and events beyond their control. The announcement said it was best “to close the event on our terms and a good run.”
Eventually, however, organizers decided to hold one more race day this year. The Nov. 1 event was dubbed “H-Town Throwdown – THE SEQUEL.”
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Baughman on accidents: ‘Unimaginable loss’
On Tuesday, emergency responders escorted hearses bearing the three men’s bodies from the medical examiner’s office in Tulsa to funeral homes in McAlester.
Family, friends and community members lined the local streets to pay their respects. The McAlester Fire Department flew a large flag outside Brumley-Mills Funeral Home for McCoy and Faulkner, while the Wilburton Fire Department flew one outside Chaney-Harkins Funeral Home for Lawrence.
Another tragedy nearby
An hour north of Hartshorne, the Muskogee County town of Porum is also dealing with the loss of a first responder.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 28-year-old Richard Phillips was killed Oct. 30 in a motorcycle crash north of Quinton in Pittsburg County.
In an Oct. 31 press release, Rep. Tim Turner (R-Kinta) identified Phillips as a police officer for the town of Porum.
“Officer Phillips was a proud Marine veteran, a devoted father, and a dedicated public servant who served his community and country with honor,” Turner said. “He was the kind of officer any department would be proud to have, hardworking, compassionate, and committed to the call of service.”
“It feels like everybody’s related to or friends with somebody across every agency,” Adrian O’Hanlon of McAlester/Pittsburg County Emergency Management told KJRH. “Everybody has a story to tell about each one of these people that lost their lives.”
Baughman said the community’s hearts are collectively broken over what he called an “unimaginable loss.”
“These individuals gave themselves in service to our community, and their sacrifice will be felt across all of Pittsburg County,” he said.
Candeeda Lawrence, Clint Lawrence’s daughter, said in a statement to KOTV that her dad’s heart was “as big as the outdoors he loved so much.”
“Whether he was camping, fishing or sitting by a crackling fire surrounded by family, that’s where he was happiest,” she said in the statement. “He had a laugh that could fill the night air and a kindness that touched everyone he met. He served proudly in law enforcement, always leading with compassion and respect. He did the best impersonations and would make your stomach hurt from laughing so much. He was amazing.”
Bailey said Justin Faulkner lived for the races and brought contagious excitement to every event.
“What was built together mattered, and it always will,” Bailey said. “Through heartbreak and healing, may we never forget the laughter, the effort, the purpose and the love that H-Town Throwdown brought to so many.”
The Alderson Fire Department said in a Facebook post that McCoy was always there when the department needed him.
“But now it’s our time to be there for you,” the post read. “Rest easy chief, we have it from here.”
Community members have launched several fundraisers for the families. A GoFundMe has raised more than $14,000, a T-shirt fundraiser has brought in more than $3,400, and a local bank account has been set up to collect donations.
The two incidents remain under investigation.
