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Many will gather in Tulsa on Thursday afternoon for the funeral of Tulsa Police Sergeant Craig Johnson, who was shot and killed over a week ago during a traffic stop.

Congressman Kevin Hern said he would be attending the funeral of Sgt. Johnson. Sgt. Craig Johnson's funeral is scheduled for Thursday, July 9th at 1:00 p.m. at Victory Christian in Tulsa. The services will be open to the public and masks will be provided. Local law enforcement have made arrangements to stand by the Tulsa Police Department during their time of need.

During an interview with Rep. Hern, the Congressman said Sgt. Johnson, 45, lost his life in an assassination-type shooting, and left rookie Officer Aurash Zarkeshan in critical condition in a Tulsa hospital where he has since begun his long road to recovery. He said Zarkeshan had only been serving on the streets for the Tulsa Police Department for six weeks when the tragic shooting occurred.

Zarkeshan made a routine traffic stop for expired tags before the shooting occurred. Rep. Hern, who did not want to give glory to the shooter by saying his name, said the man said Zarkeshan violated his rights by stopping him. The Congressman said we have gotten way beyond the tragic death of George Floyd - an African American man killed by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota - and the grave issues that have happened across the country in recent months. He said we have gotten to the point where it is a way of life for a criminal to say his or her rights have been stomped on.

On Friday, Rep. Hern had an opportunity to visit Officer Zarkeshan in the hospital. Congressman Hern said he moved by the meeting. Despite, being shot four times - once in the head - Rep. Hern said Officer Zarkeshan was able to give officers a description of the suspect, the car and what happend on his way to the hospital. He said they were getting ready to help Zarkeshan walk on Friday during Hern's visit.

Officer Zarkesan is of foreign descent. Rep. Hern said police officers like Zarkeshan are human beings. He said Zarkeshan put on the uniform of the Tulsa Police Department to protect people regardless of their skin color.

Zarkeshan's parents are restaurant owners in Moore. Rep. Hern said these are people that just want to be a part of America; they want to assimilate, which is what America was founded on. He said America is a melting pot of people from all over the world, not a silo of people around the country trying to figure out how to get together.

Congressman Hern said this is part of the narrative that the Democrats are not pushing back on. Rep. Hern said his opponent in the upcoming General Election in November, Kojo Asamoa-Caesar, has embraced the D.C. Democratic demogogery of defunding police departments across the nation. He said Asamoa-Caesar has not pushed back on the killing of Sgt. Johnson in his own city, leading him to believe that today's Democrats are completely out of step with what Oklahoma's values are.

In conclusion, Rep. Hern said we have to start respecting who we are and what we are as a nation.