There aren’t enough words to describe the strength of Cooper’s family. Today marks two years since he was shot and killed in front of his home in Lima, and for that they gathered there in song and prayer.

A year ago on this day, the Lima police found Cooper in front of his home with several gunshot wounds that he later died from. No one was ever found to be the suspect of the shooting, and Cooper’s killer has yet to face justice. 

Six homicides occurred within Lima in 2019. That’s one more than the yearly average Lima has seen. The Lima Police Department has worked to solve half of them and continue to work on the remaining three.

The first murder came early on, Jan. 15. Branson Tucker was found in a car and later died of his injuries. He was shot at a residence on St. Johns Avenue during a late night card game. Kenneth Cobb and Jerome Fuqua are suspected of his murder. They have trials scheduled for January and February respectively.

It was a night of tears for family and friends of a Lima man who was killed earlier this year. Tonight(10/18/19) many gathered to sing, pray, and light a candle in memory of Gregory Cooper. They came together on Franklin Street where he was shot and killed on July 19th. His family is asking for justice and closure, they're asking the community to step up and speak up if they know what happened the night Cooper was killed.

The Lima Police Department has investigated four homicides in 2019. On average, the city has seen five a year for the last couple of years. In 2019 though, only one of the four remain unsolved. "The officers and the detectives of the Lima Police Department, they do an excellent job all the time," said Sgt. Jason Garlock, a detective for LPD. "They work hard, they do the very best they can to make sure all crimes are taken very seriously and given the utmost respect and hard look at."

The family and friends of a man who was murdered on Lima's south side last weekend gathered to remember his life and ask for justice in his death. A large crowd gathered on the 700 block of Franklin St. to honor the life of Gregory Cooper, 31, who died of multiple guns shot wounds he received near his car just before midnight on July 19. His family says that they wanted to salute Cooper, who was a correctional officer at the Marion Correctional Institution, with a candlelight vigil to keep their own spirits up as well as to keep his life on the minds of the Lima community so that they can see justice for his death.

The Lima Police Department is investigating three shootings after the weekend. Two occurred on Saturday, beginning with a shots fired call near the Lima West Apartments. No injuries were reported. Later on, 46-year-old Patrick Kelley suffered non-life threatening injuries when he was shot near his car at a party on Leland Avenue. Detective Steve Stechschulte said the department has promising leads on both shootings.

Officers from the Lima Police Department responded to the 700 block of Franklin Street, in reference to a shooting.  Upon their arrival, the officers located 31 year old Gregory Cooper, of Lima, lying in the roadway, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.  Emergency Medical Personnel arrived and transported Mr. Cooper to Lima Memorial Hospital, where he died as a result of the apparent gunshot wounds.