A 30-Year-Old Man Faces Charges for Allegedly Firing at Chicago Police Officers During Gas Station Shootout
A 30-year-old man is currently facing charges for allegedly firing at two Chicago police officers during a gas station shootout in Englewood six years ago. Court records reveal that he was on felony bail at the time of the incident.
Identified as Dontrell Cooper, he is charged with two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer in connection with the shootout that took place in the early morning of August 11, 2019.
The officers, who were in full uniform and driving a marked patrol car, were responding to a disturbance at a gas station in the 200 block of West 63rd Street when they heard gunfire outside. Prosecutors stated that the officers witnessed Cooper and another individual, Jose Reynolds, using a black SUV for cover during the shootout.
One of the officers reported seeing both men pointing their guns towards him and firing in his direction. The other officer mentioned observing muzzle flashes, one from Reynolds and two from Cooper, before returning fire. The suspects managed to flee the scene by jumping into an SUV near St. Bernard Hospital, as per a detention petition.
Upon investigation, authorities recovered a 9-millimeter and a .40-caliber handgun hidden in bushes along the path the suspects took while escaping from the gas station. Ballistics tests confirmed that these weapons were used in the shooting. In 2021, DNA analysis linked Cooper as the primary contributor to samples taken from the .40-caliber pistol.
Reynolds, who arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound within 10 minutes of the incident, was later arrested and charged with attempted murder of police officers. He eventually pleaded guilty in 2023 to aggravated discharge of a firearm towards a peace officer and received a 10-year sentence.
Investigators discovered a photograph on Reynolds’ phone showing Cooper wearing the same attire as one of the shooters involved in the incident.
Cooper resurfaced recently after being apprehended on unrelated charges and hospitalized for undisclosed injuries. He is currently still in the hospital and is expected to appear in court for a detention hearing once discharged.
During the time of the shootout, Cooper was already out on bail for a felony aggravated fleeing charge, which later resulted in probation.
This case also has ties to Cook County’s bail reform debate. Two months after the incident, Chief Judge Timothy Evans mentioned that there had been no significant issues under the bail reform initiative he implemented in 2017. In response, CWBChicago initiated its “Not Horrible” reporting series, which has highlighted over 400 incidents involving individuals shot or killed by defendants on felony pretrial release in Cook County.
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