Updated: Yuma police investigating early morning shooting(AZ)

Updated 6 p.m. - Yuma police say a 35-year-old man was shot and killed early Wednesday morning after he attacked an officer on the Special Enforcement Team with a 4½-foot spear.

Sgt. Clint Norred, a spokesman for the Yuma Police Department, said the incident began at about 2:20 a.m. when officers responded to a report of an alleged sexual abuse or assault at the Fairmont Apartments at 2293 W. 19th St.

According to Norred, when officers arrived on scene to investigate the allegation, the suspect became uncooperative and barricaded himself and a 15-year-old male inside the apartment, where he armed himself with a knife and began making suicidal threats.

"He initially refused to talk to the officers and retreated to the apartment area, armed himself with a knife, and made suicidal threats," Norred said.

The suspect, who has now been identified as Michael Shawn Cooper, had allegedly inappropriately touched an adult female at the apartment. In addition to that allegation, Cooper had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of Yuma Municipal Court for failure to pay, in reference to drug paraphernalia charges.

Norred said officers began negotiations with Cooper and evacuated four nearby apartments as a precaution. Now involved in a standoff, the Special Enforcement and Hostage Negotiations teams were also called to the scene.

After about 30 minutes, the 15-year-old was allowed to leave the apartment. Norred said he was uninjured.

Cooper continued to be suicidal and uncooperative throughout the negotiations. Norred said that at about 5:19 a.m., nearly three hours after the standoff began, Cooper became aggressive toward the Special Enforcement Team near the apartment and armed himself with the spear, which had a 6-inch metal tip.

Norred said SET officers attempted to subdue Cooper, who was in his living room, by firing a less than lethal impact round at him. Afterward he threw the spear toward them.

Cooper was shot once in the torso by SET Sgt. Jeffery Ruby, an 18-year veteran with YPD. Ruby has been placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure with officers involved in a shooting. No other members of the Special Enforcement Team fired their weapons during the incident.

Cooper was treated on scene by the Yuma Fire Department’s Tactical Emergency Medical team and transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he later died.

Marcella Steffensen and her family live in one of the evacuated apartments. She said she had no idea what was going on when police started banging on their door at about 3 a.m., startling everyone inside.

"It was, you need to get out now," Steffensen said. "They said our neighbor had a hostage. I didn’t even grab any shoes or anything for the baby."

Steffensen said she, her daughter and two grandchildren spent the next three hours on the corner of 19th Street and Meadowbrook, about a quarter of a block away, with other evacuated residents watching as the tense scene unfolded.

"We heard a light pop followed by two louder pops, and then it was quiet. It sounded like gunfire.

"We saw them bring him out on a gurney and put him into the ambulance, but we couldn’t tell if he had been shot," Steffensen said.

Steffensen, who was not allowed back into her apartment until nearly an hour after the shooting, said while she did not know her neighbors very well, they did speak quite often.

"This is shocking. They are very nice people. I saw them the other night sitting out in the backyard, having a good time socializing."

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.

Updated 3:50 p.m. - Yuma police say a 35-year-old man was shot and killed early Wednesday morning after he attacked an officer on the Special Enforcement Team with a knife.

According to Norred, when officers arrived on scene to investigate the allegation, the suspect and a 15-year-old juvenile male answered the door. The suspect, however, refused to speak with police and barricaded himself and the boy inside the apartment.

"He initially refused to talk to the officers and retreated to the apartment area, armed himself with a knife, and made suicidal threats," Norred said.

Norred said officers then began negotiations with the now-armed suspect and evacuated four nearby apartments as a precaution. Now involved in a standoff, the Special Enforcement and Hostage Negotiations teams were also called to the scene.

After about 30 minutes, the 15-year-old was allowed to leave the apartment. Norred said he was uninjured.

The suspect continued to be suicidal and uncooperative throughout the negotiations. Norred said that at about 5:19 a.m., nearly three hours after the standoff began, the suspect was shot after attacking an officer on the Special Enforcement Team with a knife.

Norred said the suspect was shot by one officer and that no other member of the Special Enforcement Team fired their weapons. The suspect’s name is not being released at this time, pending the notification of next of kin.

The suspect was treated on scene by the Yuma Fire Department’s Tactical Emergency Medical team and transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he later died.

Norred said the officer who shot the suspect has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident, which is standard YPD practice for an officer involved in a shooting.

"It was, you need to get out now," Steffensen said. "They said our neighbor had a hostage. I didn’t even grab any shoes or anything for the baby."

"We heard a light pop followed by two louder pops, and then it was quiet. It sounded like gunfire.

"We saw them bring him out on a gurney and put him into the ambulance, but we couldn’t tell if he had been shot," Steffensen said.

Steffensen, who was not allowed back into her apartment until nearly an hour after the shooting, said while she did not know her neighbors very well, they did speak quite often.

"This is shocking. They are very nice people. I saw them the other night sitting out in the backyard, having a good time socializing."

Updated 1:25 p.m. - A man was shot and killed this morning by a Yuma Police Department officer after attacking a YPD special enforcement team with a weapon, according to YPD.

The Yuma Police Department responded to a call of alleged sexual abuse at 2:20 a.m. at the Fairmont Apartments, 2293 W. 19th St.

A 15-year-old male answered the door when YPD officers arrived. However, the suspect, a 35-year-old male, armed himself with a knife and made suicidal threats. He then barricaded himself and the 15-year-old inside the apartment, according to YPD.

Officers began negotiations and evacuated four nearby apartments as a precaution. The Special Enforcement and Hostage Negotiations teams were called to the scene. About 30 minutes later, the teenager walked out of the apartment uninjured.

According to YPD, during negotiations, the suspect continued to be suicidal and uncooperative. At 5:19 a.m., the suspect attacked the special enforcement team officers with a weapon and was shot by a single officer.

Members of the Yuma Fire Department Tactical Emergency Team began immediate treatment of the suspect, who was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

The crime scene is still secured as the investigation continues. The officer who shot the suspect has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Updated 8:45 a.m. - Officers with the Yuma Police Department are currently investigating an early morning shooting at an apartment complex in the 2200 block of West 19th Street.

“Norred said SET officers attempted to subdue Cooper, who was in his living room, by firing a less than lethal impact round at him. Afterward he threw the spear toward them.
Cooper was shot once in the torso by SET Sgt. Jeffery Ruby, an 18-year veteran with YPD.”
hmmm...they shoot him...he throws a spear toward them...they fire a lethal response...what is wrong with these SET cops. Why are they there for a guy all alone in his apartment threatening suicide with a knife/and or spear? Understand the hostage negotiators were there and effective in getting the 15 year old release...why then did the tactics guys take over and kill him?

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