A Washington County jury found a Tulsa man not guilty on Friday of first-degree murder and also acquitted him on the lesser charges of first-degree manslaughter in the 2021 shooting deaths of two men at a Bartlesville bar.

 Gregory Rogers, of Tulsa, was accused of murdering Austin Standeford and Van Parson in a shooting at the Kickstand Saloon in December 2021. The jury did find Rogers guilty of carrying a weapon where alcohol is served. Rogers also admitted to shooting and killing the two men, but claimed it was in self-defense.

 Prosecutors called 17 witnesses during the trial including six witnesses who were in the bar at the time of the shooting. Closing arguments were heard Friday afternoon.

 The Washington County District Attorney’s Office claimed Rogers went to the bar looking for trouble and murdered the two men after they confronted him about inappropriate actions in the bar and attempted to kick him out. Rogers’ defense attorney Chase McBride argued that the shooting was in self-defense. He contends that there was a fight in the bar and that Rogers was on the ground when he fired the shots. McBride also questioned why there was no video of the incident when there were security cameras in the bar, but authorities claim the cameras weren’t working on the night of the shooting.

 

The verdicts were made after five hours of deliberations, with the only guilty verdict on the gun charge. Rogers will be sentenced at a later date.