Former Lawton police officers’ preliminary hearing continued until September

A preliminary hearing for two former Lawton police officers charged with killing a man in December 2021 has been continued until September.

The decision was made after Comanche County Special District Judge Susan Zwaan heard almost three hours of testimony Thursday. The former police officers, Nathan Michael Ronan, 31, and Robert Leslie Hinkle, 31, are charged with first-degree manslaughter in the death of Quadry Malik Sanders. 

Ronan and Hinkle were among officers who responded to a call of an armed hostage situation and protective order violation against Sanders, 29, the night of Dec. 5, 2021, at 1806 NW Lincoln. The house is the home of his ex-girlfriend and mother of his children, Briana Wattenberg. Ronan and Hinkle shot Sanders after he failed to comply with their commands.

District Attorney Kyle Cabelka opened his case Thursday with testimony from Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Lead Case Agent Alfredo “A.J.” Solis, who investigated the case. The former police officers were charged in May 2022 following the conclusion of Solis’ investigation.

In the cross-examination, defense attorney Gary James questioned Solis regarding what information the officers had available when responding. A woman who’d been in the home, Amanda Meister, had left and reported Sanders threatened her, was there with a gun and that children were inside. Hinkle arrived and spoke with her and she said her children weren’t there.

Ronan had been at a call to the address around 4:30 a.m. that day after Meister called 911 and reported Sanders was there and violating a protective order received by Wattenberg on Oct. 7, 2021.

After Wattenberg failed to appear in court on Dec. 2, 2021, the protective order was denied, records indicate. James said the officers didn’t know it had expired. They also didn’t know Wattenberg’s children were in Department of Human Services custody and that no children were in the home.

Solis testified Sanders returned around 1:30 p.m. Dec. 5, 2021, after being called by Wattenberg when a man she had been seeing was reported to be trying to get into the house.

Police were made aware by the police incident database that Sanders had a history of resisting officers. Police set up a perimeter around the home and began using the public address system to attempt to communicate with Sanders.

Body camera video shows Sanders step back behind a refrigerator outside the home while being ordered to continue coming forward with his hands raised. This was moments after he was seen by another officer trying to exit the back door. He was still considered armed.

After stepping behind the refrigerator, Sanders lowered his hands and was told again to show them. Sanders was seen shifting a ball cap from his right hand to his left as he moved his right hand toward his pants pocket. 

James questioned Solis, a defensive tactics instructor who was on his first case as a lead investigator, over his understanding of use of force sciences and his training in it.

Solis said he hadn’t had training for advanced certification. He believes he’s still qualified to investigate the shooting and make his opinion. He served six years with the Muskogee Police Department before joining the OSBI in 2020.

In the video, and after officers yelled at Sanders commands of “down” and “hands,” Hinkle fired four shots as Sanders began to raise his right hand. Sanders fell backward to the ground and his hands appeared to the officers to be behind his back. He continued moving his hands as if reaching for something, and officers still considered him armed. The officers yelled for him to “quit reaching.”

When he didn’t comply, Hinkle and Ronan simultaneously opened fire, again striking Sanders. According to the State Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, 12 bullet wounds to the upper and lower body killed Sanders. Ballistics testing showed that 11 wounds came from Hinkle’s gun and one from Ronan’s, who fired four shots.

James asked Solis about clues from defensive tactics that discuss how a person’s body language can signal aggressive behavior. This includes “blading,” or turning to your side and ducking behind something as Sanders did when he moved behind the refrigerator under the carport.

“We saw all those factors for Mr. Sanders, did we not?” James asked.

Solis replied: “He moved out of their line of sight.”

Of the actions officers could make at that time, getting him back into the line of sight, moving up or retreating are the options, James noted. He asked Solis if Hinkle’s duty was to retreat.

“No, nobody has a duty to retreat, no,” he replied.

When asked by James, Solis said it was reasonable to believe Sanders putting his hand in his pocket at the time he did could be a threat.

“Do you think a police officer has to see a weapon before he shoots?” James asked.

“No,” Solis said.

A handgun matching the one Meister said Sanders was carrying was later found inside the home on a dining room chair, Solis testified.

As James prepared to go back through the officers’ body camera videos with Solis, Zwaan said she had other cases on her schedule and continued the hearing until 9:30 a.m. Sept. 21.