Lincoln Police say Monday morning’s officer involved shooting 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 says. “As officers ordered them to step out, one officer was standing outside the open passenger door of the vehicle.”
Morrow says the pair did not comply and as they began driving away, 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. The K9 handler turned back to retrieve his cruiser while the other officer pulled his service weapon and commanded the driver to stop the vehicle multiple times,” Morrow says.
When the driver did not comply, Morrow says the officer fired his service 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.”
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.
(Photos: Lincoln Police)