Current Events > Cops shoot each other, suspect with BB gun charged with murder

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The Polk County Sheriffs Office is mourning the loss of 21-year-old Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane, who died in the line of duty on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, during a deputy-involved shooting.

This information is preliminary, based upon the investigation so far:

At 2:07 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, the Polk County Sheriffs Office received a Heartland Crime Stoppers tip that Cheryl Lynn Williams, DOB 5/30/76, who had an outstanding felony warrant for failure to appear on a possession of methamphetamine charge was at 4345 Foxtown South in Polk City. Williams has a criminal history that includes 11 felonies and four misdemeanors, and she spent 9 years in the Florida state prison system out of an 11-year sentence for trafficking in meth.

Sergeant Michael Brooks, and Deputies Johnny Holsonback III, Adam Pennell, and Blane Lane arrived at the scene, and at 3:08 a.m., they advised that shots were fired. Deputy Lane, 21 years old, was shot in the left arm, and the round entered his chest. As a result, he died at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.

The first witness at the trailer home told the deputies when they arrived at the front door that Williams was at the back door. The second witness who was at the back door told them, Shes in here and all of the deputies except Lane went inside. Lane took up a tactical position outside the trailer near the front side. Lanes tactical position afforded him the view of the door and windows to ensure that he would see the suspect in the event she tried to flee.

The deputies approached a gaming room and initially did not see anyone in the room. Williams then stepped into view armed with a silver handgun which she immediately pointed at them. Shots were fired and the suspect went down. Lane then reported that he had been shot in his arm. He was transported to LRHMC. Williams was also transported to a local hospital to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds. She is in stable condition.

Deputies interviewed the second witness after-the-fact, who told them that when Williams realized the deputies were there, she picked up the handgun and walked away from him. He told her, You dont want to do that, and she replied, Let them in.

The handgun turned out to be a very realistic-looking BB gun.

According to the early investigation, it appears that both Sergeant Brooks and Deputy Holsonback fired their agency-issued firearms. The round that struck Lane came from one of their firearms.

Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane was 21 years old and lived in Fort Meade. He entered the Polk State College KCTIPS dual law enforcement-detention academy in September 2020, graduated, and was hired as a Detention Deputy in May 2021. He became a Deputy Sheriff in January 2022, and was assigned to Northwest District Patrol.

Cheryl Williams will be charged with felony second degree murder, among other charges, upon her release from the hospital. This investigation is ongoing.

PCSO will plan a line-of-duty death funeral with full law enforcement honors, and that information will be released at a later date. Please keep Deputy Lanes family and our PCSO family in your prayers during this difficult time.

Seems pretty fair to me?

Finding it hard to care about this specific case.

Perp was literally a meth dealer and wasn't even killed.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Perp was literally a meth dealer and wasn't even killed.

It'd be pretty impressive to charge them with a murder they didn't commit if they were also dead.

Yeah, this one honestly sounds fair.

Shouldn't it be manslaughter?, their actions lead to the accidental death of a police officer but they clearly had no intention to kill those cops, pulling a BB gun on police actually seems like a suicide attempt, you're clearly not coming out the winner of that fire fight.

Meth kills again

why didnt they turn off friendly fire tho

Murder seems weird, but definitely charge them with something there.

Jesserae posted...

Shouldn't it be manslaughter?, their actions lead to the accidental death of a police officer but they clearly had no intention to kill those cops, pulling a BB gun on police actually seems like a suicide attempt, you're clearly not coming out the winner of that fire fight.

when a civil servant or government employee dies it becomes a felony murder or capital murder

if regular person dies in the process of a crime, it also becomes felony murder

It'll get argued down to involuntary manslaughter, if she has a half-way competent lawyer.

KainWind posted...

Murder seems weird, but definitely charge them with something there.

It's a matter of precedent, though I might be using the wrong term.

Typically if a cop dies during lawful pursuit, the suspect draws a murder charge regardless of their actual culpability.

It's like how (IIRC) killing a police animal is charged like killing an officer.

008Zulu posted...

It'll get argued down to involuntary manslaughter, if she has a half-way competent lawyer.

I don't think it's going to matter. There's going to be so many drug charges that she's going to be booked for like 20 years anyway.

gunplagirl posted...

There's laws in a lot of states that say if you commit a crime and anyone dies as a result of the events that follow, even cops killing your friend in a different room of the house? You're charged as though you'd killed them yourself.

Actually I remember seeing a Doco on how this law came about, some poor cop got wrapped up in a tow chain as 3 criminals sped away from the scene dragging him behind the car, the law was implemented because they were charged lightly if I'm remembering correctly, the police officers wife lobbied for years.

Yeah this one seems a bit grey - suspect did create a situation but not sure he had intent?

Jesserae posted...

Shouldn't it be manslaughter?, their actions lead to the accidental death of a police officer but they clearly had no intention to kill those cops, pulling a BB gun on police actually seems like a suicide attempt, you're clearly not coming out the winner of that fire fight.

They aimed what appeared to be a gun at the police and the police responded to that threat. The intent is there even if they didnt have the tool

I have no opinion on this, other than "Blane Lane" was probably a rough name to go through childhood with.