Tulsa cop says he can't recall shooting that killed sergeant
A jury has begun deliberating in the murder trial of a man in the fatal shooting of a Tulsa police sergeant
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A jury began deliberating Friday in the murder trial of a man charged with fatally shooting a Tulsa police sergeant and with wounding an officer.
Deliberations began about 5:30 p.m. in the trial of David Anthony Ware, 34, who is accused of killing Sgt. Craig Johnson and wounding Officer Aurash Zarkeshan. The death-penalty trial is Tulsa County's first in more than a decade.
In closing arguments, Ware’s attorney again showed jurors a still from a police video in which Johnson is seen kicking Ware during the traffic stop early on June 29, 2020. Defense attorney Kevin Adams told jurors that Ware feared for his life because the officers beat, kicked, pepper-sprayed and shot him with a stun gun.
“You guys have done something that most members of the Tulsa Police Department haven’t. You watched the video,” defense attorney Kevin Adams told jurors. By such actions, police "stop being a law enforcement officer and become a lawbreaker.”
“All lives matter, and you should support law enforcement — when they’re upholding the Constitution of the United States,” Adams said.
However, prosecutor Kevin Gray told jurors that Ware brought the violence on himself by refusing to comply with Johnson’s instructions and resisting.
“He deprived Sgt. Johnson of his unalienable right to life,” Gray told the jury.
Gray had told jurors during opening statements that Zarkeshan pulled Ware over about 3 a.m. after he saw him run a stop sign and take a wide turn into another lane of traffic. Ware then failed to produce a driver’s license or proof of insurance when Zarkeshan asked him to provide those documents, Gray said.
Matthew Hall was convicted of being an accessory to a felony for driving Ware from the scene after the shooting.