Fallen Tulsa Police Sergeant, Injured Officer Honored 1 Year Later

It’s been one year since Tulsa Police Sergeant Craig Johnson and Officer Aurash Zarkeshan were shot during a traffic stop.

Sergeant Johnson died and Officer Zarkeshan spent several months recovering. Until last year, it had been 24 years since a Tulsa Police Officer was killed in the line of duty.

Sgt. Johnson's name is now etched in stone at the Tulsa Police memorial near the academy.

One thing officers said they'll always remember is the support they felt in the days and weeks after Sgt. Johnson’s death.

On June 29, 2020, Sgt. Johnson and Officer Zarkeshan pulled over David Ware during a traffic stop. They said he refused to get out of the car, even after being tazed and pepper sprayed.

Then as the officers were trying to pull Ware from his car, he opened fire, hitting both officers, killing Sgt. Johnson.

Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum remembered the tragic day on Facebook, saying, "that morning our community was reminded that every single police officer protecting our community is someone's kid, someone's friend, often someone's spouse or parent."

He recalled the day the TPD Foundation hosted a fundraiser at Lafortune Park, saying "People pulling in with nothing but a few dollars they were going to use to pay for food that day, but wanting the officers' families to have it instead."

"It was about a mile wait to pull in there, but people would gladly wait to a, just let officers know they were being supported and b, just to offer any assistance to the family that they could as they go through this trying time,” said Danny Mills, Tulsa Police Foundation Development Director.

Mills said donations poured in to the TPD Foundation raising more than $600,000.00.

Now, they're raising money to send Sgt. Johnson's family, Officer Zarkeshan and the Tulsa Police Honor Guard to Washington DC this October when Sgt. Johnson's name will be added to the Fallen Officers Memorial.

Mills said it's important to support officers in the community because they're risking their lives every day.

“You see it every day across the United States officers killed in the line of duty, ambushed or whatever the case may be, but these officers need our support now more than ever,” said Mills.

If you’d like to donate to help fund the DC trip, you can Click Here.