By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Canadian County Sheriff’s deputy Lt. Shirley Lanning was killed Friday in a head-on collision with a driver on Northwest Expressway just east of Sara Road, police said.
Lanning crossed the median and collided with a car about 9:20 a.m. Two people in the car were not seriously hurt, police said. Lanning was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, said officer Megan Morgan, Oklahoma City police spokeswoman.
Police shut down Northwest Expressway between Morgan and Sara roads west of the John Kilpatrick Turnpike for several hours after the collision.
Lanning had been a deputy in Canadian County since May, 2014.
A silver Chevrolet came to rest on the embankment on the south side of Northwest Expressway and the deputy’s car landed along the north side of the roadway. The collision was in Oklahoma City limits, and police investigated the fatality into the afternoon hours.
Police on Friday afternoon reported Lanning was driving west on Northwest Expressway when she drove into the eastbound lanes for an unknown reason, entering the lanes of oncoming traffic. The driver of the eastbound car tried to swerve to avoid a collision, but was blocked from another vehicle alongside her, and the head-on collision could not be avoided, police said.
The two people in the eastbound car were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for their injuries and released.
The collision remains under investigation, Morgan reported Friday afternoon.
Canadian County Sheriff Chris West was not immediately available for comment Friday afternoon.
