Father and sons sentenced in revenge killing
By Shannon Becker
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TULSA, Oklahoma (KOAM) — A father was sentenced after being convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and assault, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced James William Buzzard, 52, to life imprisonment, plus 10 years, after a jury convicted Buzzard of First Degree Murder in Indian Country, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian County, and Carrying, Using, or Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
Before the trial began, James Buzzard’s co-defendants and sons pleaded guilty to their involvement in the murder of Jerry Tapp.
Cody Dwayne Buzzard, 31, pled guilty to Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, and Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Judge Frizzell ordered Cody Buzzard to serve 25 years imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
Dakota Chase Buzzard, 23, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Carry, Use, Brandish, and Discharge a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Judge Frizzell ordered Dakota Buzzard to serve 6 1/2 years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
In August 2019, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call about a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Jerry Tapp deceased in his front yard with multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies found a second victim, Tapp’s girlfriend with a GSW injury to her wrist.
Witness interviews led law enforcement to Dakota Buzzard, who was driving a white, 4-door Altima, matching the description of the vehicle seen leaving. Law enforcement found spent casings in the yard, driveway, and roadway. They also found additional casings in the vehicle and the rifle used in the shooting.
Court documents showed that the defendants waited for Jerry Tapp to return home from work. Once Jerry Tapp exited the vehicle, James Buzzard shot at Jerry, and handed the gun to Cody Buzzard, who continued shooting.
Officers say the shooting was retaliation for a shooting incident in June of 2015 where Jerry Tapp fired a shotgun into a vehicle occupied by James Buzzard and an 11-year-old girl. The child received a non-life-threatening gunshot wound as a result of this incident.
Although all three Buzzard men were jailed in 2019 held on state charges in Oklahoma, they were released when the McGirt order transferred the case to the Cherokee Nation Jurisdiction.
They had to have charges filed in Federal Court and warrants for their arrests before they were captured by U.S. Marshals.
The FBI, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reagan Reininger and Eric O. Johnston prosecuted the case.
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