A police officer who was shot in the line of duty early Monday in Oklahoma has died, his department announced.
Sgt. Craig Johnson of the Tulsa Police Department died Tuesday, a day after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head.
He was one of two officers shot during a traffic stop at about 3:30 a.m. Monday on Tulsa’s east side. Police arrested the suspected shooter, David Ware, later that day following a seven-hour search.
“I want to thank the Johnson family for giving their son to the Tulsa Police Department and citizens of Tulsa,” the department’s police chief, Wendell Franklin, said in a statement Tuesday. “His sacrifice will be forever remembered.”
Johnson and the other officer, identified as Aurash Zarkeshan, were both in critical condition following the shooting and underwent surgery, police said Monday.
Police said Johnson’s condition didn’t improve after surgery, and he was placed on life support so his family could say goodbye. His organs will be donated, police said.
Tulsa’s police chief said at a press conference Monday that the suspect did not comply after being told to get out of the vehicle 12 times. A Taser was deployed on the suspect, and a struggle ensued when the officers attempted to remove him from the car.
The suspect then opened fire at close range, Chief Franklin said.
Johnson joined the Tulsa Police Department in 2005. Zarkeshan is a rookie officer.
Ware, 33, is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of shooting with intent to kill, and possession of a weapon, according to ABC News.
Another man, whom police described as an accomplice, is accused of picking up Ware in another vehicle. The suspected accomplice, identified as 29-year-old Matthew Hall, has also been taken into custody.
With News Wire Services