In the early hours of a Friday morning in Baltimore, a city patrol officer on his way to a service call made a grim discovery. Laying in the middle of the 3300 block of Caton Avenue was 31-year-old Leo Cooper, suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest. The quiet of the Southwest Baltimore street was broken by the arrival of paramedics, who rushed Cooper to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in a desperate attempt to save his life.
Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators learned that just before he was found, Leo Cooper had been walking toward a Sunoco gas station located in the 3300 block of West Baltimore Street. Witnesses recounted hearing the sudden ring of gunshots before Cooper was found mortally wounded in the street. The motive for the shooting and the circumstances leading up to it remained unclear in the immediate aftermath.
In the days that followed, the Baltimore Police Department's homicide detectives took charge of the investigation into Cooper's death. They publicly appealed for any information that could lead to the identification and capture of the person or persons responsible for this act of violence. Authorities urged anyone with knowledge of the shooting to contact them directly or to provide anonymous tips through the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line. However, information regarding any subsequent arrests or the identification of any suspects in the murder of Leo Cooper has not been made publicly available. The case, like so many others, left a family grieving and a community searching for answers that have yet to come to light.
