Jury recommends death sentence for Tulsa officer’s killer
The Tulsa County jury recommended death for David Anthony Ware after almost three hours of deliberation.
The Tulsa County jury recommended death for David Anthony Ware after almost three hours of deliberation.
The Tulsa County jury recommended death for David Anthony Ware after almost three hours of deliberation.
Jurors recommended a death sentence Wednesday for a man convicted of fatally shooting a Tulsa police officer.
>> Related: David Ware found guilty on all counts in killing of Tulsa police officer
The Tulsa County jury recommended death for David Anthony Ware after almost three hours of deliberation. That was after convicting him of murder for the June 2020 fatal shooting of Sgt. Craig Johnson during a traffic stop.
Ware was also convicted of shooting with intent to kill Officer Aurash Zarkeshan. The jury already had recommended a life prison sentence for the wounding of Zarkeshan during the stop.
Defense attorney Kevin Adams asked the jury for mercy for Ware.
"This is an ugly ... awful case," Adams said.
"David Ware believed he was acting in self-defense when he shot Sgt. Johnson," Adams said. "They were kicking him."
Prosecutor Steve Kunzweiler said Ware made the choice to shoot.
"He knew exactly what he was doing, he was shooting at police officers," Kunzweiler said.
Earlier Wednesday, Judge William LaFortune dismissed two jurors and replaced them with the two alternates. LaFortune said the man and the woman both told him they could not continue but did not specify their reasons.
"They cannot fairly deliberate with their fellow jurors," LaFortune said. "The court is beyond suspecting they might not be impartial, way beyond."