Officials identified a man who was killed by police after he allegedly shot a man during a carjacking, engaged in a shootout with a witness and then led officers on a chase through Philadelphia that spanned several miles.
The ordeal began on Monday, April 28, around 7 p.m. at the Public Storage Unit lot on the 500 block of East Hunting Park Avenue near a mini mart. Police said 51-year-old Jerome Cooper of Philadelphia shot a 32-year-old man in the abdomen and then stole his Toyota Camry. Investigators said a 29-year-old man who witnessed the carjacking pulled out his own weapon and exchanged gunfire with Cooper.
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SIGN UP Cooper then fled the scene at a high speed in the stolen Toyota Camry while continuing to fire his weapon, police said. Information on the incident was broadcast over police radio as officers responded to the scene.
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Less than an hour later, shortly before 8 p.m., highway patrol officers spotted the stolen Camry in the area of 2nd Street and Cheltenham Avenue, police said. The officers then chased after Cooper, according to investigators. During the chase, Cooper allegedly fired his weapon at the pursuing officers along the 700 block of Cheltenham Avenue.
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The chase continued for several miles until it ended on the 4600 block of Roosevelt Boulevard. Police said Cooper crashed the stolen vehicle into the center median at the base of a tree. Cooper then got out of the car and pointed his gun towards the officers, police said. Seven officers then fired their own weapons, striking Cooper multiple times.
Cooper was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 9:06 p.m. His gun was recovered at the scene.
The 32-year-old shooting victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition. None of the officers involved in the incident were hurt.
Five highway patrol officers, an officer with the 15th District and an officer with the 25th District were all involved in the shooting. All seven officers have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of investigations by the department’s Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Unit, the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Police said body-worn cameras and dashcam video were activated during the incident.
The 29-year-old man who shot at Cooper is also under investigation by Philadelphia police and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
