Cover photo of the Tulsa World magazine shows Officer Aurash Zarkeshan holding a portrait of his slain supervisor Sgt. Craig Johnson. Both men have been honored as Tulsans of the year. (Photo: Tulsa World)
After the June 29 shooting that killed Tulsa Police Sgt. Craig Johnson and grievously wounded Officer Aurash Zarkeshan, Zarkeshan, who was shot in the head, could only communicated by squeezing people's hands.
“My friend asked me once if I still wanted to be a police officer,” Zarkeshan told the Tulsa World.
In reply, Zarkeshan gave him one really firm squeeze of his hand.
Six months later he is back on light duty with the Tulsa PD.
It’s because of that dedication to duty that Zarkeshan and his fallen supervisor and mentor Johnson were named Tulsans of the Year.
Both men were shot during a traffic stop.
