LAWTON – Two Lawton Police Department officers who were involved in a Dec. 5, 2021, shooting have lost their jobs.
Officers Nathan Ronan and Robert Hinkle were terminated following an internal investigation, City Manager Michael Cleghorn’s office said Friday in a news release.
On Dec. 5, Lawton police were dispatched to a call at 1806 NW Lincoln, which resulted in the death of Quadry Sanders, according to the news release. As it has done with previous officer-involved shootings, the police department turned the investigation over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
The police department’s internal affairs department launched its own administrative investigation of the shooting, according to the news re3lease. Following that investigation and after careful consideration, Cleghorn decided to terminate the two officers’ employment.
“The city of Lawton, to include the Lawton Police Department, firmly believes in policing itself in the same manner the community is policed and holds itself to the highest possible standards,” Cleghorn said in the news release. “The actions of these officers were not in conformance with the Lawton Police Department’s established training protocols, policies, practices, customs or procedures.”
He said the city’s administrative probe is separate from OSBI’s criminal investigation.
“The OSBI’s investigation is still ongoing and upon completion of their investigation, the Comanche County District Attorney will determine whether or not criminal charges should be filed against involved parties,” Cleghorn said. “Any presumptions about the criminal culpability of these officers should not be based upon the city’s actions here today.”
He said the city will release additional information about the case – including body camera footage -- once the district attorney has decided whether to file charges. That decision would come after the OSBI finishes its investigation.