In the early hours of May 5, 2015, the life of 27-year-old Lafayette Antonio Reed, an African-American male known to his loved ones as Tony, was tragically cut short. At approximately 4:37 AM, Omaha Police were called to a residence at 3229 N 28th Street to investigate a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered Lafayette Reed and another man, 27-year-old Diondre Mitchell, unresponsive inside the home's kitchen. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds.
The two were not just friends, but cousins, and their violent deaths sent a shockwave of grief through their families and the community.
Lafayette was remembered by his family as a loving and funny individual, a good son, brother, and a devoted father to his two daughters. He had a passion for writing and composing music and was known to carry his Bible with him. His family was left devastated, stating that his life was taken too soon and for no reason. In the wake of the double homicide, the investigation into who was responsible began, but for years, the case grew cold, leaving the families of Lafayette Reed and Diondre Mitchell without answers or a sense of justice.
For over seven years, the case remained one of Omaha's unsolved homicides, a painful open wound for those who knew and loved the two men. Homicide detectives, however, continued to work the case, piecing together evidence over time. A break in the case finally came in December 2022. Omaha Police announced the arrest of 35-year-old Cavin Cooper for the murders of Lafayette Reed and Diondre Mitchell. At the time of his arrest for the 2015 homicides, Cooper was already incarcerated for other serious crimes, including a 2018 first-degree assault. The charges against Cooper included two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The arrest, while not erasing the pain of their loss, offered a glimmer of hope for closure to the families who had waited so long for justice.
