The Lincoln Police Department has identifying the officer who fired his service weapon during an officer-involved shooting Monday morning, Feb. 24.
The incident began with a traffic stop outside an apartment building near 46th and Orchard around 2:30 a.m. Police Chief Michon Morrow says officers tried to stop a white Cadillac outside an apartment building.
“Officers had probable cause to order the male driver and female passenger out of the vehicle to conduct a K9 search,” Morrow said Monday. “As officers ordered them to step out, one officer was standing outside the open passenger door of the vehicle.”
The pair did not comply. As they began driving away, Morrow says the officer on the passenger side got caught inside the vehicle. The vehicle slowly continued down Orchard Street while two officers ran on foot behind it.
While the K9 handler turned back to retrieve his cruiser, the other officer, now identified as Officer Ryan Lawrence, brandished his service weapon and commanded the driver to stop the vehicle multiple times.
When the driver did not comply, Morrow says Lawrence fired his weapon in the direction of the vehicle, but no one was injured by the gunshot.
“The vehicle stopped in the intersection of N. 48th and Orchard where the officer who had been inside the vehicle was able to step away with minor injuries,” said Morrow.
The driver, 66-year-old Ronald Willis of Lincoln, was arrested on for fleeing to avoid arrest and assault on a police officer. The passenger, 44-year-old Cynthia Martinez, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.
Lawrence has been an officer for several years, first joining LPD in 2018.