TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A Tulsa County jury has convicted a 25-year-old man of shooting a sheriff’s deputy on the courthouse plaza nearly two years ago.
Jurors returned a guilty verdict Friday night on all six felony counts against Andrew Joseph “Joe” Dennehy, the Tulsa World reported (https://bit.ly/1jOYOZ6 ). Jurors rejected an insanity defense waged by Dennehy, who defense attorneys claimed did not know what he was doing when he shot Deputy David Fortenberry on March 7, 2012.
Jurors didn’t reach a verdict on a charge of shooting with intent to kill, but they found Dennehy guilty of a lesser charge of assault and battery with a deadly weapon.
Jurors gave him a 20-year prison sentence on that conviction and an additional three years and 10 days on other convictions. Formal sentencing is set March 3.
If Dennehy had been found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would have been committed to the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita for care and treatment instead of being sent to prison.
Sheriff’s deputies encountered Dennehy while responding to a report that gunshots were being fired on the plaza outside the Tulsa County Courthouse.
Evidence indicates Dennehy had fired a .357-caliber pistol into the air. He did not respond to verbal commands to put the gun down but instead fired a shot that struck Fortenberry’s hands, with which he was holding and pointing a handgun.
After Fortenberry was hit, two other sheriff’s deputies shot at Dennehy, who was hit multiple times, according to testimony.
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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com
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