David Anthony Ware tulsa police
(Tulsa Police Department via AP)
David Anthony Ware tulsa police
This undated photo released by the Tulsa Police Department shows David Ware, who police say shot two Tulsa Police officers following a scuffle on Monday, June 29, 2020. Ware fled the scene on foot and police searching for him described him as armed and dangerous. (Tulsa Police Department via AP)

Early on the morning of June 29, two Tulsa police officers stopped David Ware as he was driving his vehicle. Ware refused to get out of his car and was eventually pepper sprayed. But as the officers attempted to get Ware out of his car, they struggled. Ware then produced a handgun and shot both officers.

Read our initial post on the incident here.

Sergeant Craig Johnson died of a gunshot wound to the head. Officer Aurash Zarkeshan is recovering from his wounds.

David Ware Tulsa police shooting
Courtesy Tulsa Police Department

Monday, a judge ordered the release of bodycam video of the incident. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum issued the following statement:

The body camera footage from the murder of Sergeant Craig Johnson and the attempted murder of Officer Aurash Zarkeshan…

Posted by Mayor GT Bynum on Monday, September 14, 2020

 

Here’s the video of the attempted arrest and shooting (possibly NSFW):

80 COMMENTS

    • The mics on the body cameras are not the best quality. Really loud sounds, like gunshots, can overwhelm even high quality microphones. Generally the closer the mike is to the gun when it is fired the less likely it is that the shot will be recorded. Often there is a recording break or static that marks the shot(s). Sometimes when you do hear a shot on one of these things you are actually hearing an echo.

      • Think of a mic like a speaker, but in reverse.
        Instead of the signal be converted to magnetic field and moving the cone, there must be some cone movement to make a signal.
        If the amplitude of stimulation of the cone is excessive (in this case due to muzzle blast which generates sound pressure levels orders of magnitude higher than human speech) it will remain bottomed out (stationary) and generate no signal.

        This is an oversimplification, but also basically accurate.

        • What was the motive for the traffic stop? From what I saw the cops abused the rights of the guy and the guy used his right of self defense. These cops were the assholes in this video. Too bad the complete story was not told.

        • Video from the patrol car shows Ware rolling a stop sign as he turned onto the road in front of the patrol car. He turned into the far lane as the patrol car slowed to prevent an accident. Ware’s car had expired paper plates.

          So, failure to stop, failure to yield, failure to execute a proper turn, operating without a valid license plate…take your pick for the motive for the stop.

          After the stop was initiated, Ware was unable to produce a license plate, title, bill of sale, registration, insurance, or a driver’s license. Each of these items is a valid reason to tow the vehicle.

          After being informed that the vehicle would be towed, Ware refused to exit the vehicle.

      • These cops should have transitioned into tasers the moment he started actively pulling back from tactile contact. And no, the use of force continuum has nothing to do with skin color. You could check national statistics to learn that.

      • @Swarf – the statistics show otherwise. Police use of deadly force with non-compliant black suspects is lower than with non-compliant white suspects. In other words, if you resist the police and you’re white you are actually more likely to get shot than if you’re resisting police and you’re black. White people don’t riot in the streets when white trash gets shot though, so I suppose you wouldn’t know unless you’re paying attention.

        https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/police-brutality-race-numbers/

        While there are studies by the various SJW/Race Baiting peddlers of the narrative that black men are hunted in the streets.. anyone with half a brain and a willingness to look at the actual numbers comes to the opposite conclusion.

        • It is a sad day when a partisan media outlet like law enforcement today produces better research than Harvard and other so called “criminologists”. Then again, given what a Professor of Harvard Law had to say about Rittenhouse’s case recently, I would say it’s more telling on the state of “higher education” than anything else.

      • This guy SWARF is an a-hole. I’ve seen some of his comments on other sites. His brain is dead and purifying. Rodents have invaded his skull and are gnawing away at the remaining slime.

      • Swarf or whoever you are- Your comment doesn’t even deserve to be on this forum. For you to say something like you did shows what kind of scum you are. You should be ashamed. Why don’t you go walk a mile in an officer’s shoes before you say something like like that???

  1. That guy should be executed for felony stupid appearance. Did you see the tats? Who does he think he is? The Russian mob? Maybe he should have lived in Brighton Beach. See how tuff he is there.

    • I like how left wing Daeshbags idolize Russia when Russia today is far more to the “right” and “nationalist” Than most countries.

      That should be a lesson to any ardent leftist reading this.

      Your homeland of socialist glory, the heart of communism, after only 70 years collapsed, and its remnants are now an “ultra capitalist” and nationalist state, which now dreams about restoring the old Russian Empire. A similar trend with many countries is taking place Europe wide.

      Beware the long branch, it snaps back.

  2. Another video that will be shown in Police Academies right after the Dinkheller video. Truly sad. The suspect deserves a speedy and fair trial followed by swift execution.

    I feel bad for the rookie. He’s going to have to live with his failure and the guilt that entails. The Sergeant’s instructions to control the suspect’s arm (“you get that arm, I’ve got this one”) were purposeful – and would have made the difference between finding the gun on pat down after restraining him.. and what happened instead. Police need to have training in something like BJJ. Consistent, weekly training, with a minimum of 150 hours a year. Going hands on is the last moment that you need to be figuring out what to do.

    The other thing is that the general public need to understand that if you fight police and refuse to follow orders you can and will be shot. This whole “I’ll fight it out in the street because I don’t want to go to jail” business needs to be met with terminal force. If you’re “Not going back to jail” because you’d rather die that’s fine. That’s your choice; but the public at large needs to understand that’s what you’re choosing if you decide to fight police.

    Anyone who wants to have an opinion on use-of-force laws should be required to watch this video and the Dinkheller video.

    • “Police need to have training in something like BJJ. Consistent, weekly training, with a minimum of 150 hours a year. Going hands on is the last moment that you need to be figuring out what to do.”

      I’m not disagreeing with you… but I don’t know how we get there now.

      Police budgets are being slashed. Cops are already being forced to take overtime shifts because training and recruiting are the first to get hit with cutbacks. Every hour of training you set up takes a cop off the street. And right now the in-service training, such as it is, is all about diversity policing, de-escalation and policy changes.

      And there’s another problem… some people who are becoming cops simply cannot fight their way out of a paper bag. But because of the current political and litigious atmosphere, we have to pretend that every 5’1 110 (or 220)lb woman can do just as much as a 6’0 man. OR we say that “well, they have different strengths.” And that’s fine, except when regular physical strength is what is needed in a life-or-death struggle. Cops carry a bat-belt of gadgets meant to deal with this problem but, as seen here, they aren’t reliable. Yay, you’ve pepper sprayed someone. So what? I’ve been pepper sprayed numerous times. Never once was it so incapacitating that I couldn’t fight… or shoot at contact range.

      Then there’s the problem of hiring qualified candidates. There aren’t very many smart, capable people willing to go into a career of law enforcement right now. Being a garbageman pays better, is less likely to get you assaulted and is seen as more positively. Everyone marching against police seems not to realize that they’re going to get worse and worse cops because the hiring pool is shrinking significantly.

      • “But because of the current political and litigious atmosphere, we have to pretend that every 5’1 110 (or 220)lb woman can do just as much as a 6’0 man. ”

        Um… these both look like male officers, your argument is invalid.
        ..
        Did you see the goofy blonde dude from Kenosha?
        He looks like a cousin of mine who’d shoot random (valuable) items if allowed a gun!
        I’ll bet the paper bags used to beat him up every day on the way to school, wouldn’t trust him with a gun any farther than I can shidt.

        The rest of your post is accurate, and it’s a really crappy job, and pepper spray is ho-hum.
        Tased? It depends. Sometimes -> fish flop and a Hershey Kiss in your boxer briefs.
        Other times… meh… can I get some of that OC on dees hotwings?

        Interestingly, garbage collector is rated as more dangerous than police work.
        Damn that’s some cardio… RESPECT!

      • IMO Police departments should take their slashed budget and do away with diversity policing and social justice nonsense, along with as much of the redtape beaurocratic timesinks as possible, reduce the pay of “management” (Being a police chief shouldn’t be a 6 figure job, sorry), then take that time and money and pay for membership with a local BJJ/MMA gym. Heck, if officers will actually show up and train I would wager a lot of BJJ coaches would happily take on the extra students even if it was at a reduced rate – it would be a steady source of income (which Gym owners love), good PR, and it’s nice to have students who are guaranteed to show up.

        Your other points are all completely valid, and need to be addressed. Social Justice and Diversity are a cancer on our society, and the place where that nonsense should be tolerated the least is in law-enforcement. The problem is that the people pushing those pie in the sky policies are in the same camp as those shrieking for “defunding the police”, and they shouldn’t be listened to at all, by anyone. However they are being listened to and they’re accomplishing their goal. They’re getting rid of anyone in law enforcement who actually wants to enforce the law. Soon the only people left in cop uniform will be lickspittle lackeys like you see in Portland and Seattle. Burn, loot, murder? Cool, they’ll watch from a safe distance. The Chief and the politicians like you, who are they to interfere? Carry an American flag and fight back when Antifa/BLM types incite violence? Swarm them and haul them to jail.

        Any good cop who has the option to quit, will. We have a front row seat for the death of Policing and the creation of a new order and I’m more than a little afraid of what comes next.

        • And I thought the CHAZ/CHOP was an example where defunding the police was taken to the intended limit.

          Perhaps some more examples are needed?

      • “John in FL says:
        September 15, 2020 at 21:27

        “But because of the current political and litigious atmosphere, we have to pretend that every 5’1 110 (or 220)lb woman can do just as much as a 6’0 man. ”

        Um… these both look like male officers, your argument is invalid.”

        My argument extends beyond this one incident and officers; you misunderstood it. If standards are lowered, they are lowered. They are being lowered, in part, to be ‘inclusive’ but that means they are lowered for everyone- male, female, and whatever is in between today. Whether this is the case in this specific incident or not is impossible to say.

        “Interestingly, garbage collector is rated as more dangerous than police work.
        Damn that’s some cardio… RESPECT!”

        This is true. There are many occupations more ‘dangerous’ than policework in terms of statistical injuries. That’s why I chose the word ‘assault.’ There’s something very different between throwing your back out lifting a heavy object and someone injuring you via attack. One is much more mentally stressful than the other.

      • Cops just need to hand out traffic tickets. For all the rest your on your own. Well forget the traffic tickets too, your just on your own. ,,,,,can you imagine

    • I think this is a good idea and I know that they’d get a huge discount for being a “group”.

      There’s another issue here and that’s the pushback that they’re going to get from a few different crowds.

      Obviously there’s the “it’s too violent” crowd that’s going to raise that argument no matter what.

      However, I think the bigger issue will be with people who don’t actually understand martial arts. Loads of people will tell you that BJJ is useless in the street. It’s not, you just don’t tend to see “self defense/street jiu jitsu” unless you’re studying BJJ. Why? Because it’s banned in competition, even in the UFC. For example, you can’t throw knees at people on the ground or use neck and back cranks. A number of throws are similarly banned or rarely used because they rely on things that an actual trained fighter would never attempt to do to you, but idiots on the street will. Some of these things will put someone out of a fight in two seconds, and likely cripple or kill them immediately. You see the same thing with Krav, you never see it in the UFC because it loses too many of it’s “tools” to the rules. Systema has a similar issue which is why people from Slavic countries rarely use it is MMA competition. It’s just too limited by the rules because competition has to draw the line between ending the fight fast and not being actual gladiatorial combat.

      It would create a situation where cops had a lot more tools and also effectively put the female officers on equal footing in a hand-to-hand confrontation with suspects. Which is part of why it won’t happen. The Left’s current push isn’t against “overly violent confrontations” or even “law enforcement”. It’s against the law being there in the first place.

      However, while it would be nice and I think that the solution is a mix of well-designed BJJ (which incorporates a fair bit of Judo and wrestling) and Muay Thai would be highly effective compared to what cops are taught now (which honestly is flat out garbage) this is unlikely to happen.

      It’s going to run into a lot of resistance from the ignorant and become a political football even if funding/cost are not an issue. The cops are not going to like the time commitment, departments are going to have a zillion use-of-force issues (the cops I train with constantly note that if they did practically anything they’re learning when on-duty they’d likely be fired for it). Then it’s going to get a backlash the first time some 5’3″ 110lb female cop hip throws a big, violent male suspect face first into concrete and kills the suspect.

      This isn’t about resisting arrest or what’s acceptable. It’s about neutering law enforcement so that there isn’t any. Due to that we’re not going to have a smart, well trained police force in this regard.

      You can see an example of this in the fact that many police departments currently do not allow the use of a sap because it’s not PC. A very valid argument can be made that an expandable baton is more dangerous for both people involved and that, overall, a sap is a better compliance tool. But they’re often banned because they’re “too vicious”.

      • Great comment.

        It reminded me of the time I signed up for a 3-day “Knife Fighting for Law Enforcement” class. I’m not a cop, but I thought it would be interesting. Most all of the scenarios revolved around weapon retention in a struggle against a (much) larger aggressor, typically after a failed taser deployment. For every hour of hands-on training, there were at least two hours of instruction for articulating use of the knife. I couldn’t believe the level of justification required compared to the scenarios we practiced. The overall theme of the class was, in essence, “you probably shouldn’t use a knife to defend your life — the optics are terrible”.

        Definitely not what I had in mind when I signed up. I felt bad for the folks who were there in a professional capacity.

    • I have a friend who started doing it on his own time so his toolkit when working was expanded. He was already a great shot and competes in IDPA regularly, so he felt he should round out his skillset. He quickly realized the immense utility and said that taking up BJJ was equally if not more important than keeping up on his shooting since he was more likely to have a scuffle than a gunfight, and winning said scuffle could possibly prevent a gunfight.

      Using actual time for continuing training/education is unlikely at this time of budget slashes and lower retention/recruitment numbers (which translates directly to less time for training as you have to keep what personnel you have on the streets. Most realistic option would be for departments to give a stipend for paying for dojo/training fees.

  3. And people wonder why so many people get shot reaching inside their car. Here you go boys and girls, if he reaches he should be shot.

    • And many get shot reaching for a wallet because their hands moved to their waist. Where do you think most males keep their wallets?

      • While I appreciate the sentiment, I’ve seen enough liveleak videos of suspect’s hands reaching for their “wallet” and coming up shooting that I honestly am not going to fault cops for being twitchy when you reach. Action is faster than reaction, and there are a surprising number of criminals that are willing to murder to avoid jail.

        Society would benefit immensely if our schools actually taught practical skills, like how to have a safe interaction with Police officers when they pull you over. I was taught that if I was pulled over I should do things in this order..
        (1) Park the car, turn off the engine.
        (2) Before the officer gets out of his cruiser, pull out my wallet and place it on the dash. (3) Open the glovebox and place my insurance card and registration on the dash as well.
        (4) Roll the window down, hands on the wheel.

        If you’re not in your car and Police ask to see your ID, tell them what you’re going to do (I’m going to get my ID, it’s in my wallet) what action you’re going to take (My wallet is in my front right pants pocket, I’m going to reach for it), make sure they assent, and then do it VEeerrryyyyyy slowly.

        That would be what, 20 minutes worth of time to teach a class how to do that? Force kids to learn that along with basic life support. At least then we’d have SOMETHING useful to show for public schools. We could save a lot of lives if we taught these as basic skills.

        • A couple of things to add to on this comment, based on several things I have been told by LEOs in concealed carry classes.

          First, be pleasant, not confrontational. Say “Good afternoon” / “Good evening.” Don’t argue or lie or refuse to sign the ticket. Disputing the citation is for when you go to traffic court. Being a jerk sends off alarm bells, bigly. If you are decent, don’t have many tickets, and the cop is having a good day, you may get let off with a warning (for minor stuff).

          If the stop is at night, turn on your car’s inside dome light. The cop will appreciate this. If you have passengers, tell them strongly to not move around, and and just immediately keep their hands on the dash or the back of the front seats. (You should discuss police stop behavior beforehand with your friends.) This may sound excessive, but it can protect you and your friends from getting shot if they pull out a cell phone to record the stop and the cop mistakes for a gun – it has happened.

          Do NOT open the glove box in advance to get your insurance card or registration. When a cop sees a person making movements like this inside the car, they get VERY suspicious that the person may be hiding drugs, going for a gun, etc. You can put your wallet on the dash in advance, but that is also not necessary. The safest thing to do is keep your hands on the top of the wheel and wait for instructions. If he asks for license and registration, tell him where it is and ask permission to pull them out. Go very SLOWLY and keep one hand on the dash (unless you have to unlock the box – if so, tell him). Again that may sound excessive, but especially at night the cop wants to know EXACTLY what you are doing before you do it.

          If you are carrying concealed and have a license to do so, the cop will likely know beforehand when they run your plate (if you are the car owner). Know your state’s law regarding if you have to notify the cop of your concealed weapon. If you notify, then ask him “what are your instructions regarding the weapon.” Do not use the term “GUN” in your conversation. That is what the cops shout when a criminal draws down on them. If their partner is in the back of the car on the other side with their hand on their holstered gun (very common these days), they can mistake “GUN” for a warning. Instead use “weapon” or “firearm” when referring to your gun.

          If the officer wants to secure your weapon let HIM do it. That is, he may have you exit the car with hands visible (crossed or on your chest). He may then draw it, remove the magazine, clear the chamber, and put the gun on the trunk or vehicle roof out of your reach. Don’t complain or argue. Cops are human and have several ways they can make things difficult for you with added traffic and vehicle citations. If YOU draw the firearm (even if he told you to) either in the car or outside, and another cop is pulling up to assist (very common in small towns where nothing else is going on), that officer could mistake you as drawing on the first cop. And you could wind up shot (and dead). So it is better to have them secure the gun. If you are carrying a pistol “cocked and locked” with a light single-action trigger pull tell them to be extra cautions when unholstering your weapon. All this is very important. A concealed carry holder was shot and killed by a cop when there was confusion and the driver reached to unholster his gun.

          Basically, the cops don’t know you at all, and they want to go home alive every day. All they see is whatever comes up on the computer, and this doesn’t tell them if you just decided to start doing PCP and are going to attack them. If parents would tell their children to follow simple rules like this during police stops (rather than act like offended jerks), we wouldn’t be in the mess that we are in now.

  4. There’s such a thing as too much force.

    There’s such a thing as too little force.

    This was the latter. The right amount of force delivered early in this encounter would have ended it. Punch the guy in the jaw once and I bet nobody dies.

  5. Mr. Ware, you’re destined to get a needle in your arm.

    It may take years, but you’re getting a needle in your arm.

  6. This situation was literally crying for a good old fashioned nightstick. It’s police work not rocket science. Or social work.

  7. The cops have demonstrated time and again their willingness to let left wing mobs run rampant while arresting any law abiding person who tries to defend themselves.

  8. There was way too much talking and “i’m telling you again” non-sense. Taser didn’t work, they should have already called for more backup and went hands on, assisting him into the prone position with as much force, violence and speed as possible. Sad.

    • I think they were thrown off balance by all the whining and crying. They didn’t realize the guy was in murder mode and playing for time.

      • Exactly, they lacked a plan and seeming procedures. Verbal judo is a good process, if it is taught and practiced it avoids what you point out, once options are given, pause, wait for a response, no compliance give your partner the go code then speed and violence of action, plain and simple. The studies prove the inability to deconflict and or go from deconfliction immediately to action is what gets most officers killed. Mindset alas wins the fight.

  9. When you take the lives of others in a criminal act, you forfeit your own right-to-life.
    DEATH PENALTY FOR DAVID is the only fitting end to this story.

    • Yeah, that way he’ll end up as a poster child/ martyr for … (fill in your least favorite lefty alphabet soup org. here) and finally attain that Glory he was striving for. Then get rid of the remains in a dumpster where they belong !

  10. A long stretch in prison will be beneficial for both society and this choad. Hopefully he hasn’t bread with anyone.

  11. Society only has itself to blame for the hardening of police tactics.
    Most of society is still civil, but a significant enough minority fraction of it is increasingly violent and sociopathic that it drags the average down with it.
    As society becomes coarser and more threatening, the police must respond in kind to protect their lives.
    We don’t live in an Andy Griffith world any more.
    Civil people have nothing to fear from the police. The rest need to be handled firmly.

  12. The first picture looks like a “just found meth” photo and the second was “oops, I shot some cops and missed a dose – I hope I don’t miss many more”.

  13. Monday morning quarterbacking!! Cops 🚓 are damned if they do and 💀 dead if they don’t. I was a cop 🚓 for 42 years and fortunately enough only drew my firearm 3xs in fear or anger whichever you Monday morning quarterbacks think and actually made me scared 😦 of what my temper could make me do

  14. Every once in a while cops deal with a A-hole like this. Brings to mind a few years ago Local police who had to deal with a elementary teacher who showed up to class in the morning severely intoxicated. She assaulted other teachers and was able to get to her car as police were arriving, resulted in a pursuit, she crashed her car and then assaulted two officers before being taken to the ground and arrested. This is before body cams but a good citizen in the area recorded the arrest on his cellphone. She later accused Police of excessive force. The video showed her active resisting and punching officers.

    I am glad officers now have body cams, shows what really happened. With all the police hate, many officers are apprehensive (pun intended) to go hands on.

    A new trend has developed in law Enforcement, Really good officers are quitting large metro departments, They are moving to small communities, Less pay but more of a Mayberry atmosphere. Close to home, no commute and little violent crime. .

    Metro areas now lowering hiring standards and still can’t get quality applicants, results in lower than minimum staffing standards, forced overtime for the other officers, many make six figure incomes with mass overtime. They are saving money, while all the time with a exit plan. As an example, over 700 retired L.A. and L.A. county officers and deputies have left and moved to Idaho. And yet, city administrators want defunding, Seattle is a prime example, officers leaving daily.

    • Good, I can’t wait for the fuzz bashers to get exactly the policing and crime situation they deserve.

  15. It angers me that they tried so hard to play nice with this piece of shi# and got shot for it.

    They got shot trying to comply with pc culture instead of knocking his lights out right away and dragging him out the car unconcious like the animal he is.

  16. This one bothers me a bit. I’m thinking there was some sort a paranoia involved due to drug intoxication but this guy seemed genuinely terrified. You could hear him continue screaming as he ran away. I don’t know what happened before they started spraying him either so it seems like someone is only showing us the part they want us to see (officers justified – perp needs to die). I’d like to know more before I make a judgement on this one. This skepticism comes from a long line of half-truths and lies from our illustrious governments (Fed & local).

  17. Since he was white the leftist media basically ignored the story. Had this scumbag been black he would already have a full defensive team assembled, bought and paid for by the left and the streets would be full of protesters and rioters claiming he was abused by police and was forced to defend himself.

    This is one POS who deserves a whole lot of a jailhouse love followed by a long painful journey into the darkness.

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