Judge denies former officers’ Stand Your Ground Defense, appeal announced

A Comanche County judge rejected the defense claims of two former Lawton police officers that they stood their ground in the December 2021 shooting death of Quadry Malik Sanders.

Comanche County Presiding Judge Emmit Tayloe made the ruling Thursday after two days and 10 hours of testimony.

With Tayloe’s ruling, Nathan Michael Ronan, 31, and Robert Leslie Hinkle, 31, remain scheduled for the upcoming April/May jury trial docket to face felony charges. Ronan is charged with shooting with intent to kill and Hinkle with first-degree manslaughter, records indicate. A 4 p.m. April 17 pre-trial conference is scheduled.

However, the former officers’ counsel, Gary James, of Oklahoma City, informed the court of his intent to appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. He has 10 days to formally file the paperwork.

Under the Oklahoma State Statutes for the Stand Your Ground Defense, Tayloe determined Ronan and Hinkle were not justified in using deadly force in self-defense during the Dec. 5, 2021, incident at 1806 NW Lincoln that killed Sanders, 29.

In making his considerations for the former officers’ argument they stood their ground when making the decision to pull the trigger, Tayloe said multiple prongs to the state statutes were met but declined to agree that Sanders attacked the officers.

Tayloe agreed the pair were not committing an unlawful act by being at the home and that they had done nothing illegal preceding the decision to shoot.

Hinkle and Ronan testified that Sanders’ actions in denying police commands and by reaching into his pocket and drawing his arm out were among actions putting him in what they would call an “attack” mode.

Sanders’ past actions involving gunplay and threats also played into their line of thought in responding to the situation. Hinkle had been called to the residence the week before and Ronan earlier the morning of Dec. 5, 2021. When they were called that night, they were told of an armed hostage situation and protective order violation against Sanders.

Ronan and Hinkle shot at Sanders after he failed to comply with their commands. In all, Hinkle fired 15 shots and Ronan fired four.

Sanders received 12 bullet wounds to the upper and lower body that killed him, according to the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s autopsy report. Ballistics tests showed that 11 wounds came from Hinkle’s gun and one was unidentifiable from either man’s gun. The medical examiner reported finding methamphetamine in Sanders’ blood.

Tayloe said he believes this is the first case in the state involving police and the Stand Your Ground Defense. He referred back to prior Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals reviews of Stand Your Ground defenses. In three of those cases, the court denied immunity due to perceived threats while the two that were granted, weapons and threats of death were involved.

“The question I have to ask is, ‘Was the force reasonable?’” Tayloe said. “You’ve got to be attacked.”

Tayloe referred back to testimony by Lawton Police Sgt. Kenneth Dixon who was partnered with Hinkle the day of the incident. Dixon testified he was stationed with a long-rifle and the scope set at three times magnification directly across the street from the home. He believed Sanders presented a threat but said he didn’t fire his gun because he never saw a weapon with Sanders.

Tayloe said he wasn’t considering if the shooting was “justified,” only if it met the parameters of the Stand Your Ground Defense, which was the purpose of the hearing.

During a break in Ronan’s testimony earlier Thursday, Sanders’ mother, Mina Woods, said she believes pre-conceived notions by police coupled with “raw fear” played into their over responding to her son’s actions with firepower.

Ronan and Hinkle testified they had good reason to believe Sanders was armed that day. Ronan said he was at the scene a total of 49 seconds.

Ronan said he didn’t shoot Sanders during the first volley of four shots by Hinkle because Hinkle was in front of him. However, when Sanders fell to the ground, he continued reaching for a black object near his legs that Ronan believed to be a gun. That’s when he said he fired.

“I thought I was about to die, I thought Officer Hinkle was going to die,” he testified. “I thought Mr. Sanders was going to shoot us.”