‘Disappointing’: City addresses ruling on officers fired over fatal shooting

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The City of Lawton released a statement Tuesday regarding two former officers involved in a fatal police shooting.

Nathan Ronan and Robert Hinkle are charged with first-degree manslaughter for the shooting death of Quadry Sanders in December of 2021.

7News contacted the City after multiple sources claimed the former officers had been reinstated and placed on administrative leave. The City sent back the following statement:

The City declined to say exactly what the arbitration awards were. 7News has filed an open records request regarding the awards and the status of Ronan and Hinkle’s employment with the City.

The police shooting of 29-year-old Quadry Sanders, an unarmed Black man, made headlines around the country after disturbing body camera footage was released in March 2022. The Comanche District Attorney’s office announced it would charge former Lawton police officers Nathan Ronan and Robert Hinkle with first-degree manslaughter for the “unjustified” shooting; the medical examiner’s report said Sanders was shot 12 times.

However, the City of Lawton has always made a strong distinction between the criminal charges brought by the state Bureau of Investigation, and the administrative investigation launched by the City. This contrast was stressed in a May 2022 statement by then-City Manager Michael Cleghorn, who said Ronan and Hinkle’s employment had been terminated in January following the completion of an administrative investigation by the police department’s Internal Affairs division.

Both Ronan and Hinkle are still facing charges of first-degree manslaughter in court. The judge presiding over their case was replaced in May after lawyers accused her of having bias due to seeing body camera footage while working as an assistant District Attorney.

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