Police reports indicate that a man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of his 19-year-old pregnant girlfriend in Midwest City on Tuesday. The incident occurred after an alleged argument between the two regarding her pregnancy.
Promise Cooper passed away at 7:20 p.m. at SSM Health St. Anthony, despite the dedicated efforts of the medical staff to save her life. According to the police, she seemed to have sustained a single gunshot wound in the upper right chest region.
According to police, Cooper’s 22-year-old boyfriend, whose name is being withheld by The Oklahoman, took her to the hospital where she arrived unconscious.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a detective from the Midwest City police interviewed Cooper’s boyfriend while he was at the hospital. The police noted that the boyfriend provided contradictory accounts of the incident.
While driving near the intersection of East Reno Avenue and Sooner Road, the boyfriend noticed a gray Dodge Charger that seemed suspicious. He and Cooper had just left a dispensary in his black 2016 Chevy Trax SUV.
According to the affidavit, the detective noted that the boyfriend claimed to have seen the vehicle on multiple occasions and suspected that they were targeting him.
The boyfriend admitted to firing two shots from a semi-automatic pistol towards the Dodge Charger, although he was uncertain whether the bullets hit the vehicle.
According to the affidavit, the detective was informed by him that Cooper had mentioned being injured. It was at this moment that he came to the realization that she had actually been shot.
The individual involved in the incident was unable to provide any details about the occupants of the Dodge Charger. After conducting a thorough search of the vicinity, Midwest City police officers discovered two shell casings. However, upon examination, it was determined that these casings were old and in poor condition.
Arguments over pregnancy
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According to the affidavit, the Midwest City police detective discovered that Cooper had called 911 at 5:11 p.m. to report harassment. It was revealed that this call took place 44 minutes prior to the police being informed that Cooper had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Cooper dialed 911 to report a distressing incident at the Meadowood Village apartment complex on 6300 East Reno Avenue. She informed the emergency operator that her boyfriend was driving around the area, donning a ski mask, and making threats to harm her.
She informed the 911 operator that she lost sight of her boyfriend while driving and would contact them again once she located him. The affidavit states that a police officer attempted to call her back, but there was no response.
An officer visited Cooper’s address and had a conversation with her mother. However, as stated in the affidavit, a 911 dispatcher mistakenly entered an incorrect name into the call notes. Cooper’s mother was unaware of the person the officer was referring to.
Afterwards, a different officer visited Cooper’s residence and had a conversation with her mother. According to her mother, Cooper had recently become pregnant by her boyfriend, who was pressuring her to have an abortion. The mother also revealed that Cooper had been subjected to threats from her boyfriend regarding the pregnancy.
Cooper’s boyfriend was found to have a Midwest City municipal warrant, prompting the police to take him into custody. He was subsequently arrested and transferred to the Police Department.
During the investigation, law enforcement authorities conducted a thorough search of the boyfriend’s SUV. Among the items discovered were the boyfriend’s pistol, cell phones, and a spent shell casing on the driver’s side floorboard. Notably, no bullet holes were observed either inside or outside the vehicle.
After obtaining a warrant, the boyfriend willingly unlocked his phone, revealing a series of text messages that depicted their mutual frustration regarding the pregnancy.
According to the police, the couple had been arguing through text messages in the days leading up to the shooting. However, there were no indications of any physical threats being made.
The boyfriend made multiple attempts to call Cooper just moments before she dialed 911.
The dispensary’s surveillance cameras failed to capture the shooting or the vehicles involved.
According to the detective’s report, the shooting was supposed to have taken place in a busy area during rush hour. Surprisingly, no calls were made to 911 reporting any shooting incident in that particular location.
A different story
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, investigators conducted another interview with the boyfriend at the Midwest City Police Department jail. During the interview, he vehemently denied having any intention of causing harm to Cooper.
In the affidavit, the detective wrote that he made up parts of the story because he was scared and wanted the shooting to appear as self-defense.
According to the boyfriend, he and Cooper drove around, making a brief stop at his mother’s residence. However, they did not enter any businesses during their outing.
According to the boyfriend, Cooper believed he was hallucinating, so she attempted to take the gun away from him. However, he had already begun to pull the trigger, and it is possible that the second bullet hit her.
According to the affidavit, the boyfriend claimed that shooting Cooper was purely accidental. He expressed uncertainty about whether someone in the Dodge Charger had fired at him or not.
The suspect was taken into custody and placed in the Oklahoma County jail on a charge of second-degree murder. At this time, it is unknown whether he has obtained legal representation.
