Tulsa man draws two life terms in gang shooting

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Jurors gave a Tulsa man two life terms in prison for a gang shooting last year. <br><br>The jury on Friday found Jermaine Michael Bruner, 21, guilty of first-degree murder in the Feb.

Saturday, January 26th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Jurors gave a Tulsa man two life terms in prison for a gang shooting last year.

The jury on Friday found Jermaine Michael Bruner, 21, guilty of first-degree murder in the Feb. 18 death of Terry Jackson, 23.

Bruner was also convicted of shooting Ronald Markham during the same incident.

Witnesses said Bruner also injured a third man in the hip during the shooting. That case was dismissed after the victim failed to appear in court to testify.

Police said the shooting started after a large crowd gathered to watch two men fight in a shopping center parking lot.

Bruner denied shooting anyone.

He testified that he carried a 9 mm gun to the fight, but gave the gun to Kenneth Avery before the shootings. Avery, 18, was fatally shot a month later and Bruner's attorney suggested that death was linked to the Jackson killing.

Bruner acknowledged membership in a gang but told jurors that he has four children to take care of and had stopped ``gang-banging'' in 1997 or 1998.

Assistant District Attorney David Robertson said Bruner ``has been in a gang culture for a long time,'' and argued that the defense was ``trying to put it all on the dead man (Avery).''

Rockland Dejario Johnson, 21, awaits a first-degree murder trial in the shootings of Avery and Anthony Ussery, 20, who were both found dead in a car a month after Jackson was killed.