LAWTON – Two former Lawton police officers were charged Friday with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man who was struck by 12 bullets, according to a statement released by Comanche County District Attorney Kyle Cabelka.
The former officers, identified as Nathan Michael Ronan and Robert Leslie Hinkle, fired 15 shots at the victim Quadry Sanders. Sanders died as he was being taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Investigators never found a gun on or near Sanders, according to Cabelka’s statement.
If convicted, the two men could each face a prison sentence of no less than four years. Both men were fired from the police department earlier this year following an internal investigation into the shooting, a police spokesman said.
“After review of the entire case file presented by the OSBI, including the Medical Examiner’s Report, the Comanche County District Attorney’s Office has made the determination that the shooting of Quadry Sanders was not justified,” Cabelka said in his statement.
Police responded to call a Dec. 5, 2021, call about a man who was violating a protective order and was in possession of a firearm. The man was identified as Sanders who reportedly was inside a home at 1806 NW Lincoln Avenue and was refusing to let one of the residents leave.
After officers set up a perimeter around the house, a police sergeant began giving Sanders orders using a PA system in a patrol car. Minutes later, Sanders was seen going out the back door of the house. An officer gave commands for Sanders to show his hands, which he immediately complied with, but Sanders then ran back into the house.
Minutes later, Sanders walked out of the home and was met by Hinkle and Ronan who were wearing body cameras, the DA’s statement shows.
According to the video from the body camera, Hinkle tells Sanders “hands, hands” and “down, down, down.” Cabelka said the victim’s hands are clearly seen and the only item visible in his hands is a ball cap, which he moves from his right hand to this left hand. As he receives the orders from police, Sanders turns back towards the front door of the house.
That’s when Hinkle and Ronan walk closer to Sanders, according to the DA’s statement. Again, Sanders can be seen in the video raising both of his hands in the air, above his head. At that time, Hinkle fires his gun four times at Sanders, who falls to the ground. Hinkle shouts for Sanders to “quit reaching as Sanders sits up with his hands above his head. However, Hinkle fires his gun seven more times. At the same time, Ronan discharges his weapon at Sanders four times.
A ballistics report prepared by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation revealed 15 bullets were fired and of those rounds fired, seven were recovered, six of which were fired by Hinkle. According to the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner, Sanders was struck by 12 bullets in his abdomen, hand, arm, groin area and legs.
The medical examiner was not able to determine which of the 12 bullets provided the fatal shot, Cabelka said in his statement.
Lawton City Manager Michael Cleghorn said Friday the city’s internal investigation was separate from the OSBI’s criminal investigation.
“With the investigation completed by OSBI and the Comanche County District Attorney’s filing decision made public, the City of Lawton, in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act, has made the footage from the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Dec. 5, 2021, public and is available on the City of Lawton’s official YouTube channel,” Cleghorn said. “The City of Lawton is releasing this information in tandem with the Comanche County District Attorney’s decision in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act and in continuation with transparency.
The city manager warned that the video may be disturbing for some people.
Lawton Mayor Stan Booker said the 2021 shooting and loss of life “in our community is always a difficult matter to grasp.”
“My thoughts and prayers go out to the parents and those in our community who lost a loved one in Quadry Sanders. Although this decision and the releasing of information that followed may provide clarity to this tragic incident, it does not come without impacting one’s stages of grief and mourning of a lost loved one,” the mayor said. “I believe the Lawton Police Department holds itself to the highest possible standards, and I know it will continue to do so moving forward.”