On a summer night in the Bronx, the life of 23-year-old Daquan Cooper was tragically cut short. In the early morning hours of June 25, 2015, while engaged in a game of dice in the Parkchester neighborhood, gunshots erupted. Cooper was struck in the head and died at the scene, while another 35-year-old man with him was wounded in the legs but survived.
The male victim, a father of two, was remembered by friends as someone who was actively trying to better his life.
Initial police investigations focused on two men who were seen fleeing the area in a silver or grey SUV. Surveillance images of the suspects were released to the public in the hopes of generating leads. For years, the case remained a painful open wound for Cooper's family and community as the perpetrators remained at large. The motive behind the violent act was believed to be connected to gang activity, a scourge that continued to plague the area.
A significant breakthrough in the investigation came in November 2019, when federal authorities announced charges against Jose 'Hov Goon' Rodriguez, an alleged member of the 'Beach Avenue Crew.' Investigators asserted that Rodriguez, who was 27 at the time he was charged, carried out the murder of Daquan Cooper to elevate his standing within the violent street gang. The charges against him included murder in aid of racketeering and firearms offenses.
Further developments unfolded in November 2020 with a superseding indictment that charged a second member of the same gang, Kyle 'Kase' Mullings. It was alleged that Mullings, who was 26, orchestrated the murder and supplied the firearm used to kill Cooper. Both men were already in federal custody on other charges when they were indicted for their roles in Cooper's death. The indictments were the result of a long and collaborative investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling the criminal enterprise of the Beach Avenue Crew, which was known for its involvement in drug trafficking and violence.
