THE DEATH penalty is being sought for a driver who allegedly shot and killed a police officer and wounded another.
A video released this week shows David Anthony Ware, 33, at a traffic stop where he appeared to shoot Tulsa police Sgt Craig Johnson and injure Officer Aurash Zarkeshan.
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Johnson, who is seen falling to the ground, died after being taken off life support.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler is seeking the death penalty for Ware over the June 29 crime.
The “defendant should be punished by death,” states a court document filed on Thursday, according to KTUL.
Among the reasons stated were that the victim was a police officer in the line of duty and that Ware “knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person.”
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Johnson’s murder “was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” and “was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution,“ the court document states.
In addition, “there exists a probability that [Ware] would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society,” the document states.
The cops pulled Ware over for failing to yield at a traffic stop, making a illegal left turn and driving a vehicle with tags that were expired.
The 16-minute long video shows Zarkeshan telling Ware, “Are you going to get out of the car or am I going to tase you?"
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A scuffle involving Zarkeshan and Johnson ensues, during which Ware shoots both cops.
Ware’s lawyer, Kevin Adams, claimed that an affidavit incorrectly stated that his client stood over Johnson and shot three more times.
The footage showed it was “not this cold calculated action on Ware's behalf like they've been trying to portray it,” according to Adams.
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The video also captured Ware jumping into a waiting car allegedly driven by Matthew Hall, and escaping.
Ware was charged with first-degree murder, shooting with the intent to kill, possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, and drug possession with the intent to distribute.
Hall faces charges of accessory to murder and accessory to a felony.
