Oklahoma Officer Cleared of Wrongdoing in Deadly January Shooting
Authorities have cleared Nathan Ronan, the Lawton Police Department (LPD) officer who fatally shot Zonterious Johnson on Jan. 17, of any wrongdoing, the police chief said.
“The Comanche County District Attorney’s Office has thoroughly reviewed the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation report and has cleared the officer involved of any wrongdoing,” LPD Chief James Smith said in a statement (pdf) on Monday.
Johnson had been celebrating his 24th birthday in Lavish Lounge, a local restaurant and social club, before the incident, The Lawton Constitution reported.
Officers who were doing a compliance check in the restaurant heard gunshots outside and went out to check. Police found Johnson was engaged in gunfire with another individual outside the restaurant. One of the officers, Ronan, identified himself as a police officer and ordered Johnson to stop. Johnson then fled the scene.
A 46-year-old man awaiting trial in January 2021 for a 2016 charge of enabling child sexual abuse is seeking to throw out evidence and testimony of alleged âprior bad acts.â
David Smith of Norman, representing Kevin Crisel, filed a motion to strike evidence and testimony from a family and for sanctions for the spoilage of evidence in Comanche County District Court on Friday.
Crisel is slated to face the January 2021 Comanche County jury trial docket for a felony charge of child endangerment. The charge stems from a case involving Criselâs brother.
Anthony Douglass Crisel Jr., 25, was convicted in March 2018 of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, records indicate. He received six years to serve with Department of Corrections, followed by one year post-conviction supervision by Department of Corrections and he is to register as a sex offender.