Tulsa man sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison after officer-involved shooting

TULSA, Okla — 46 year-old Armon Williams was sentenced to life plus 10 years in prison after he shot at two officers in September of last year. He shot one in the leg, fracturing several bones.

According to police, officers pulled Williams over for a routine traffic stop and noticed he had a gun on the floorboards of the vehicle.

When they asked about it, he stepped on the gas, hit a few police cars and was chased by officers until he pulled into the QuickTrip on Admiral and Memorial.

They said he jumped out of the moving car, firing the pistol at two officers, hitting one in the leg.

One officer then struck him with his car, believing he needed to be “neutralized” to stop any further threats to the public.

Chief Public Defender Laura Howard said while she understands Williams had a tough upbringing, even dropping out of school at 15, she called this "one of the most serious incidents" she's ever seen in her career.

She asked the court to sentence Williams to 35 years each on two counts.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he was glad the judge sentenced Williams the way she did, especially since he had been sentenced for other crimes like first degree burglary starting in 2002.

“Mr. Williams is what I call the poster child of somebody who just couldn't learn his lesson," he said. “From my perspective, there is no place that can best protect our community other than putting him behind bars for the rest of his life.”

Kunzweiler argued in court that Williams had even been through a regimented inmate detention program (RID), which was a sort of boot camp to help people through crime and recidivism.

Tulsa Chief of Police Jonathan Brooks was also present at the sentencing.

“Even when these officers are carrying out these duties, they can become a victim of a crime," he said. “A violent offender was held accountable for that crime. He shot at and wounded a Tulsa police officer, then he shot at another officer. So the decision of the court today, we respect. We respect the process, and that decision makes Tulsa safer today.”

Kunzweiler echoed the sentiment.

“I'm just grateful to not only these officers but their families who support them," he said. "That's a heavy burden, even for families to take, and so we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Tulsa Police Department, all law enforcement officers in our community. They do a good job of protecting us, and this is a classic example of how close it can get to real tragedy.”