In the small community of Oakland City, Indiana, a domestic dispute turned fatal on the evening of December 19, 2020, ending the life of 44-year-old Calvin L. Cooper. The incident unfolded inside a residence at 430 South Walnut Street, where an altercation between Calvin Cooper and his son, 19-year-old Colin J. Cooper, escalated tragically.
Responding to a 911 call at approximately 5:12 p.m., officers from the Oakland City Police Department, assisted by the Gibson County Sheriff's
Office, arrived to find Calvin Cooper with a gunshot wound. Despite their efforts to revive him through CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator, his injury proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation by the Indiana State Police pointed to Colin Cooper as the one who shot his father during their dispute. Colin, who resided at the home where the shooting occurred, was subsequently arrested and taken into custody at the Gibson County Jail without bond. His father, Calvin, lived at a separate address on the same street.
In the wake of the shooting, further details emerged suggesting a troubled history between the father and son. Colin Cooper was later released from jail on a $7,500 cash bond in January 2021. His defense claimed that the shooting was an act of fear, alleging that Calvin Cooper had physically harmed his son in previous altercations. Calvin Cooper was a lifelong resident of Oakland City, a local business owner of Cooper Pavement Seal Coating, and a member of the Oakland City/Columbia Township Fire Department.
