In the quiet community of West Columbia, South Carolina, the life of 59-year-old Roy Chris Cooper Sr. was brought to a tragic and abrupt end on a Friday evening in November 2014. On November 14th, deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to the 3100 block of Greenwood Drive, an area characterized by mobile homes. There, they discovered Cooper's body.
An autopsy would later confirm that he had died from a single gunshot wound to the upper body, and the coroner swiftly ruled his death a homicide. The initial investigation left authorities with few immediate leads, and they turned to the public for assistance in identifying any potential suspects.
The call for community help proved fruitful, and within a few days, the investigation gained significant momentum. On November 18, 2014, the Lexington County Sheriff's Department announced the arrests of two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting. The suspects were identified as 17-year-old Shaquan D. Thompson and a 15-year-old male whose name was not released due to his juvenile status. The arrests brought a sense of cautious relief to the community, as the seemingly random act of violence began to take a more defined shape.
Following the arrests, the legal process began to unfold. Both Thompson and the unnamed juvenile were charged with murder and armed robbery. According to investigators, the motive behind the deadly encounter was robbery. The narrative that emerged suggested a tragic confluence of a planned crime and an unexpected outcome. The two teenagers had allegedly intended to rob Cooper, and during the commission of this crime, the fatal shot was fired.
The subsequent legal proceedings saw Shaquan D. Thompson tried as an adult. After being found guilty of the murder of Roy Chris Cooper Sr., he was sentenced to a lengthy prison term. The case of the 15-year-old suspect was handled within the juvenile justice system, and the specific details of his adjudication and sentencing were not publicly disclosed, as is common in cases involving minors. The resolution of the legal cases brought a measure of closure to the family of Roy Chris Cooper Sr. and the West Columbia community, though the senseless loss of life left an indelible mark.
