Surveillance Video Of Tulsa Courthouse Shooting Released, Juror Speaks

For the first time prosecutors are releasing surveillance footage of the man convicted of shooting a deputy at the Tulsa County Courthouse.

Monday, January 27th 2014, 10:47 pm

By: News On 6


For the first time prosecutors are releasing surveillance footage of the man convicted of shooting a deputy at the Tulsa County Courthouse.

The trial lasted two weeks before ending with his conviction last week. Jurors heard hours of witness testimony and saw the video just released by prosecutors.

One juror explained why the courthouse video helped make her decision to convict Andrew Dennehy.

1/24/2014 Related Story: Jury Reaches Decision On Courthouse Plaza Shooting Trial

The jurors took the case seriously; they deliberated for more than seven hours.

Dennehy's defense claimed he was not guilty because he was insane at the time of the shooting.

One juror I spoke with said the video proves he knew what he was doing when he fired those shots on the courthouse plaza.

Cameras outside the Tulsa County Courthouse captured a violent exchange of gunfire and chaos one March afternoon. Moments before the shooting, cameras show Andrew Dennehy walking on the plaza with a gun.

People ran and deputies raced out to confront him. Deputy Stephen Culley dove and Deputy Adam Fortenberry shook his hands after being shot.

Juror, Kayla McCall, said, "His life was in our hands, basically, and it was very stressful."

Almost two years after the shooting, a jury convicted Dennehy. They recommended he serve 23 years in prison.

Dennehy's attorneys tried to prove he was insane; the 12 jurors didn't buy the insanity defense.

"It was very crazy. It seemed like the first two hours we did nothing but talk about if he was sane or if he was insane and we would start hollering over each other," McCall said.

The defense claimed Dennehy thought he was being chased by a group of radicals, and therefor insane.

But McCall said the footage convinced her Dennehy was sane at the time of the shooting.

"I was like, 'look right here.' He doesn't look like anybody is chasing him. Because he walked calmly onto that plaza he wasn't running. He calmly walked," said McCall.

If jurors found Dennehy to be insane, he could have spent time in a mental treatment facility.

"I'm actually very happy that he's going to jail," McCall said. "Because to me, I don't think I would of gave him the help that he needs. The lesson that he needs to learn for shooting the officer."

Members of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office felt the recommended sentence for shooting at their fellow deputies wasn't harsh enough, but McCall is happy with the outcome.

"I understand that he went through a lot of pain through his hands and everything like that, but we didn't think he deserved life," McCall said.

Formal sentencing for Dennehy is scheduled for March.

McCall said she was exhausted after the trial and she is happy to be home and rested with her family.

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