A second Missouri police officer, 27, dies after being shot by a carrier criminal during a confrontation in a mall, before the gunman stole a police car, shot and then killed another cop
- The Joplin Police Department transports Officer Jake Reed’s body to a funeral home Friday evening after donating his organs
- The department said several Joplin residents got off their vehicles to salute the procession.
- Reid, 27, and Joplin Police Cpl. Benjamin Cooper, 46, was fatally shot when he confronted 40-year-old Anthony Felix in a shopping area on Tuesday
- Authorities said Felix then ran into a stolen patrol car, causing it to eventually crash.
- Felix then shot another officer, before being killed in a gunfight. that officer’s condition remains critical
a Missouri The police officer who shot him along with two other officers last week has died, the Joplin Police Department announced on Saturday.
Jake Reid, 27, who joined the force in 2017, died Friday and his organs were donated, police said.
“(Friday) evening Officer Jake Reid continued his service to others as their vital organs were carried to the airport and sent to bring life to others across the country,” the statement said.
Reid, 27, and Joplin Police Cpl. Benjamin Cooper was fatally shot Tuesday when he clashed with 40-year-old Anthony Felix in a Joplin shopping area.
Officers were responding to “unrest” at the mall, but police would not provide any additional details about what led to the deadly encounter.
Cooper, 46, a 19-year veteran, died in a hospital on Tuesday.
Jake Reid, 27, who was shot with two other officers last week, died on Friday
Joplin Police Cpl. Benjamin Cooper was also killed when he and Reid encountered Anthony Felix, 40, in the Joplin shopping area.
Career criminal Anthony is pictured in a mugshot on March 4, four days before the police murder
Officials said Felix then fled in a stolen patrol car, which eventually crashed.
A third Joplin officer, 53-year-old Rick Hirsch, saw Felix trying to steal another car and deployed his patrol car to stop him, Chief Sloan Rowland said.
Officials said Felix shot Hirsch through the windshield of his car. Hershey is still hospitalized.
Captain William Davis, 36, shot and killed Felix shortly after Hirsch was shot.
The residents of the area decorated the patrol vehicle parked in front of the Joplin police station with colorful flowers, balloons filled with animals and notes of encouragement in honor of the martyred officers.
A memorial has been placed in the lobby of the Police Department for the CPL. Cooper and Officer Reid
As The Joplin Globe reports, Kim Jenkins, who lives near the shooting spot of the third officer and suspect, said she saw a man hiding behind a fence across the street from her home.
He said the officer took to the road and stopped in front of a van behind which the suspect was hiding.
Then the suspect opened fire at the officer, apparently shooting him through the windshield of his patrol car.
“I don’t think he even had time to get out when the guy started shooting,” Jenkins said.
Several other officers arrived and exchanged bullets with the suspect, who was hit by bullets, she said.
Lewis said the Missouri State Highway Patrol is assisting with the investigation.
The department announced that separate public meetings and funeral services for Cooper and Reed would be held at the Leggett and Platt Center on the Missouri Southern campus.
A public viewing for Cooper will take place on Monday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a funeral Tuesday at 1 p.m. Reid’s viewing will take place on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral will take place at 1 p.m. Friday.
Reed’s former high school baseball coach mourns the ‘tragic’ loss.
Tom Abbott told The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, “There is a loving, care-free man serving his community and starting his career, and his life is tragically cut short.”
‘He was always smiling or someone was laughing with him. I know he is loved and he is about to leave.’