A 21-year-old deputy was killed after being hit by a bullet fired by another deputy as they served a felony warrant yesterday morning in Polk County, Florida.
According to tragic reports, Deputy Blane Lane was one of four deputies who arrived to 4345 Foxtown South at around 2 a.m. to serve a warrant to one Cheryl Lynn Williams for meth charges.
CBS say that Williams has a criminal history including 11 felonies and four misdemeanors, and spent nine years in the prison system for trafficking meth.
In a news conference yesterday afternoon, Sheriff Grady Judd, with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, told how deputies responding to Williams’ trailer home reported shots fired at the property at 3 a.m.
Deputy Blane Lane was shot in the left arm, with the round then entering his chest. Lane was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, where he sadly succumbed to his injuries.
A witness on scene is said to have informed deputies when they arrived that Williams was at the back door. Sheriff Lane took up a tactical position outside the trailer, while the three other deputies went inside.
As they entered the trailer, though, they encountered Williams with a silver handgun pointed at them. Shots were fired and Williams fell to the ground, after which Lane then reported that he’d been hit in the arm.
The Sheriff’s Office said that Williams was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for a number of gunshot wounds. The handgun she had been holding was later discovered to be a realistic-looking BB gun, which she had picked up upon learning that the deputies were there to confront her.
Deputy Lane, meanwhile, was struck by a bullet fired by one of the other deputy’s agency-issued firearms. Two of the deputies fired shots in an attempt to subdue Williams.
Sheriff Judd promised that Williams is set to be charged with felony second-degree murder, among other charges, when she is discharged from hospital.
Deputy Lane had only been with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office since January this year.
Rest in peace, Deputy Blane Lane. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this terrible time.
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