A shooting suspect arrested Sept. 5 after eluding police for a week is back in the community after posting bail.
John Paul Cooper, 69, is accused of shooting a 58-year-old man in Tenino shortly before 5:47 p.m. on Aug. 28.
The victim, identified in court documents as a tenant on Cooper’s property in the 2600 block of Angus Drive Southeast, sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound to the arm.
Cooper allegedly fled the scene, and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) soon put out a call to the community for help locating him.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, TCSO deputies received a number of tips from citizens regarding Cooper’s whereabouts.
One of those tips came in at approximately 3 p.m. that day, with deputies waiting nearby.
Deputies were able to “take the suspect into custody without force,” Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a social media update.
When advised that he was under arrest and asked if he knew why, Cooper allegedly “advised that he understood and knew why.”
Cooper was booked into the Thurston County Jail for first-degree assault and four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, along with a separate felony warrant for theft.
The Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office ultimately charged Cooper on Sept. 10 with the lesser charge of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, along with one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
His preliminary hearing was held on Sept. 8, where Thurston County Superior Court Judge Allyson Zipp set his bail at $20,000, below the prosecution’s request of $50,000.
Zipp also required Cooper to surrender all firearms and to have no contact with the victim in this case.
Cooper posted a bail bond on Sept. 10 and was released from custody.
His arraignment hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Cooper is accused of discharging a firearm three times during an argument with his tenant, striking the victim once.
The argument reportedly started earlier that day when the victim’s girlfriend told Cooper that the victim was “being rude to her,” according to charging documents filed in Thurston County Superior Court.
Cooper reportedly became “upset” with the victim “about the way he was speaking to” his girlfriend.
The two men reportedly argued for several minutes before separating, and the victim and his girlfriend “elected to get off the property for a while.”
When they got back, the victim’s girlfriend reportedly walked back to the trailer she resided in with the victim on the property.
She soon reportedly heard the victim arguing with someone, followed by three gunshots.
When she investigated, she found the victim was alone and had been shot in the arm.
Another witness reported hearing three gunshots and yelling, but did not see the incident, according to court documents.
The victim called 911 at approximately 5:47 p.m. to report that he had been shot.
When questioned by responding deputies, the victim reportedly identified Cooper as the shooter.
The Thurston County SWAT team reportedly tried to locate Cooper the day of the incident, to no avail.
Detectives searched for the suspect throughout the night, and eventually determined that he had been dropped off at an Oakville address, but he was no longer there when deputies arrived.
Cooper is not wanted by law enforcement at this time.
