Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Man shot by police faces felonious assault charge
YOUNGSTOWN
A man who remains hospitalized after having been shot by a city police officer in a confrontation following a traffic stop late Sunday on the city’s West Side has been charged with felonious assault, a first degree felony.
Jesse L. Cooper, 39, of West Ravenwood Avenue, was charged by the city prosecutor’s office, the city police department announced this morning.
The officer, who still has not been named, tried to stop the car Cooper was driving at 11:53 p.m. at Richview and Connecticut avenues for having expired license plates, police said.
After Cooper tried to flee from the officer by driving through rear yards, the officer drove his cruiser to block Cooper’s exit onto Connecticut Avenue and exited his cruiser in preparation for a possible foot pursuit of the driver, police said.
As the officer neared the car, Cooper hit the officer with the car and the officer fired several rounds from his service pistol, striking Cooper, police said.
The officer remains off duty due to his injuries from being hit by the car, the police department news release said.