TULSA, Okla. — UPDATE, 4/21/2022: Officer Aurash Zarkeshan will testify this morning. It will be the first time he’s seen Ware since the shooting.
In the second day of testimony in the murder trial of David Ware, jurors saw Tulsa Police Officer Aurash Zarkeshan’s dash cam video showing when he and Sergeant Craig Johnson were shot during a traffic stop in 2020.
Ware is charged with first degree murder and shooting with intent to kill for the shooting death of Johnson and severely injuring Zarkeshan during the traffic stop. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
FOX23 evening anchor Sara Whaley was in the courtroom as the dash cam video played.
The entire video was about 20 minutes long and it showed everything from the beginning of the stop, the struggle of trying to get Ware out of the car, to the shooting.
It also showed officers’ reactions once they got to the shooting scene as they worked to keep Zarkeshan and Johnson alive.
Prosecutors played the video at the very end of the day as part of the testimony for the fifth witness called.
The state has called seven witnesses to the stand so far: five detectives in the Tulsa Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit, Homicide Unit Lieutenant Brandon Watkins and Lieutenant Alex Pieffer, who is in charge of the camera evidence system for Tulsa police.
Beyond the video, several more crime scene and evidence photos were also presented that witnesses spoke about in detail. Defense attorney Kevin Adams continues his work to make the jury doubt the reliability of the police’s investigation.
The first day of testimony saw family members from Ware’s and Johnson’s family in court.
Jury selection for the trial took two weeks, and the jury was seated on Friday.
Day three of testimony continues Wednesday morning. FOX23 evening anchor Sara Whaley will be in the courtroom, and is live tweeting the days’ events.
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