Canadian County officers cleared in fatal shooting
EL RENO — Five Canadian County officers who opened fire and killed a suspected vehicle thief in October went back to work Friday after being cleared in the shooting.
On Friday, Kingfisher County District Attorney Mike Fields ruled that the Oct. 8 shooting of Alexander G. Lindahl was justified and that he saw no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the officers.
Authorities said Lindahl, 24, was shot after crashing a stolen pickup along U.S. 81, near Okarche, and exiting the vehicle armed with a handgun.
Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said Lindahl was driving a vehicle reported stolen from Oklahoma City, which he abandoned near a Braum’s Dairy Farm in Grady County. He then reportedly stole a pickup from the business and was later spotted by law enforcement and fled.
West said about a dozen law enforcement vehicles were involved in the pursuit of Lindahl, whohe said was driving erratically.
Maj. John Bridges, Lt. Bryan Dellinger, Lt. Jason Glass, deputy Chris Sonaggera and deputy Christopher Contreras opened fire on Lindahl after he crashed the pickup.
In dashcam video released Friday, speeds reached 105 mph as the pursuit approached Okarche. Speeds ranged from 90 mph to 52 mph as the pursuit continued on the highway through the town, where speed limits range from 45 to 35 mph.
Lindahl eventually lost control of the pickup and ended up in the highway median after swerving around two vehicles. More than a dozen shots could be heard in the video after Lindahl exited the pickup, clutching an object in his hand near his head.
Two vehicles can be seen on the other side of the highway, near where Lindahl crashed, as the officers opened fire. West said he did not know how many rounds his officers fired.
The officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the decision by Fields on whether the shooting was justified.
“Mr. Lindahl’s actions led the deputies to reasonably believe the use of deadly force was necessary to protect themselves and the public from serious bodily harm including death,” Fields said. “Mr. Lindahl posed an immediate and potentially lethal threat to the deputies as well as to the public. In this instance, the use of deadly force was justified under the law.”