Matthew Cooper – 29-year-old man who was shot in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood on Sunday afternoon and later driven to Tremont by a private vehicle has succumbed to his injuries. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Matthew Cooper, a resident of Cleveland.
The Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Cooper was pronounced dead at MetroHealth Medical Center the same day. According to the Cleveland Police Department, the shooting took place near West 81st Street and Wakefield Avenue. After being shot, Cooper was transported in a private car to the 2300 block of West 11th Street in Tremont, where someone eventually called 911.
19 News reporters were present at the scene in Tremont and observed a white Toyota SUV that had been cordoned off as part of the crime scene investigation. Notably, the left passenger door of the vehicle was still ajar. Several personal items, including a pair of black sneakers and various articles of clothing, were found outside the driver’s side door.
The incident left the Tremont community in shock, as residents were alarmed by the sudden surge of police presence and the road closures that followed the violent crime. Rob Broka, a local resident who has lived and worked in the area since 2016, expressed his disbelief at the violence occurring so close to home. “I’ve lived here since 2016 and, I mean, it’s a city so obviously things happen, but I mean something this close, there’s never been anything violent, at least in this neighborhood,” Broka stated.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to piece together the events that led to the tragic shooting of Matthew Cooper. Meanwhile, the community continues to grapple with the unsettling nature of the crime, which has brought unexpected violence to an otherwise peaceful neighborhood.