Polk sheriff's deputy killed by friendly fire serving warrant in Polk City

A Polk County sheriff's deputy was killed early Tuesday morning in Polk City when fellow deputies opened fire on a suspect who pointed a weapon at them.

"Words can't adequately express the amount of grief we feel," Sheriff Grady Judd said at an afternoon news conference.

Deputy Blane Lane, 21, was one of four deputies sent to 4345 Foxtown South in Polk City about 3 a.m. Tuesday to serve a warrant for Cheryl Lynn Williams, 46. Williams was wanted for failure to appear on a felony methamphetamine charge, and Judd said the Sheriff's Office received a Crimestoppers tip at 2 a.m. that she was at the residence.

Judd said when the deputies arrived, they knocked on the door and two men told them Williams was around back. When the deputies went to the back, another man confirmed Williams was there and allowed them in. While Sgt. Michael Brooks and deputies Johnny Holsonback III and Adam Pennell went into the back of the house, Judd said Lane took a tactical position at the front of the residence in case Williams attempted to flee.

"He’s angled so he can see the front door, he can see a set of windows and he’s where the suspects inside can’t see him," Judd said, adding that Lane was positioned near two old refrigerators in case he needed to take cover.

While the deputies were searching the house, Judd said Williams stepped into view with a silver handgun and pointed it at the deputies. Brooks and Holsonback fired six bullets, striking Williams twice.

At that time, Lane reported he'd been struck in the arm. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, where it was determined the bullet that hit him in the arm also entered his chest through his side. He died at the hospital.

Williams also was taken to a local hospital for multiple gunshot wounds and was in stable condition Tuesday afternoon.

Williams' weapon turned out to be a realistic-looking BB gun, Judd said, and it was a bullet from one of the deputies that struck Lane. This will be the first case where the officer-involved shooting team from the 10th Judicial Circuit is involved.

Judd said Williams will be charged with felony second-degree murder when she's released from the hospital. He said one of the men at the house with Williams said she  intentionally picked up the gun when deputies arrived.

"It is my belief at this early stage of the investigation that she clearly and unequivocally wanted to put us into a gun fight with her and/or a suicide by cop," he said.

Judd said Lane was an excellent deputy.

"He was eager, he was brilliant. He learned, he absorbed information like a sponge. And he was careful when he did his job," Judd said.

Lane went to the police academy in September 2020 and was sworn in as a detention deputy in May 2021. In January, he was transferred to the patrol division as a deputy.

All the deputies on the scene were fully trained and experienced in how to execute an arrest warrant, Judd said. He said Lane made a "sound decision" by taking up a tactical position outside the home's front door. The fatal bullet traveled through the building's exterior.

"Deputy Lane did exactly what he should have," Judd said.

The sheriff said county deputies serve arrest warrants at any time of day, even 3 a.m. The department had a tip on where to find Williams and acted on it.

Lane was the father of a 3-year-old girl. He went to Mulberry High, where he played football and golf.

About 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a procession of police cars and a sheriff's helicopter escorted Lane's body from LRHMC to the medical examiner's office off of Winter Lake Road in Winter Haven. The funeral will be scheduled for next week. No details were immediately available.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 21-year-old Polk sheriff's deputy fatally shot serving warrant