Photo: Left: Getty Images; Right: Tulsa Police Department
Country star and Oklahoma native Blake Shelton is paying tribute to community heroes as part of his "Friends and Heroes" tour.
So for his upcoming Tulsa concert at BOK Center on September 24, Blake will be honoring Tulsa Police Officer Aurash Zarkeshan.
Blake picked Zarkeshan because of his bravery, commitment, and to honor the memory of his fallen partner Sgt. Craig Johnson.
Zarkeshan was a rookie cop on June 29, 2020, when a routine traffic stop ended when the driver David Ware fired several shots at Zarkeshan and Johnson. Johnson died the following day while Zarkeshan spent months recovering from his injuries.
“I can’t think of a better person to be recognized than Tulsa’s own, Officer Zarkeshan. Through the many hardships he faced on his road to recovery, he never gave up and worked tirelessly to return to serve the citizens of Tulsa as a police officer,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a news release.
“Following that fateful night, I’ve never seen a community provide so much support and care to our Tulsa police officers. I want to thank Blake Shelton for recognizing the strength and honor of Officer Zarkeshan and the many officers that serve Tulsa every day.”
As part of the recognition from Blake, Zarkeshan was given front row seats to the upcoming show and $5,000 to donate to the charity of his choice, the TPD Foundation.