Man accused of killing pregnant girlfriend

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

A man was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of his 19-year-old pregnant girlfriend after they had allegedly argued about the pregnancy, according to police.

Promise Cooper was brought to SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Midwest by her 22-year-old boyfriend about 5:55 p.m. Feb. 11. She later died despite life-saving measures by hospital staff.

As of Monday, the boyfriend has not been formally charged.

According to an affidavit, police interviewed the boyfriend at the hospital. He provided conflicting details about the incident.

The boyfriend said he and Cooper had left a dispensary near S. Sooner Rd. and E. Reno Ave. when he noticed a Dodge Charger that appeared suspicious. He said he had seen the vehicle numerous times before and believed they were after him, according to the affidavit.

He said Cooper, who was in the passenger seat, rolled her window down because she was hot. At the same time, the driver of the Charger rolled down their window and fired two shots.

The boyfriend said he fired two shots at the Charger but was unsure if he hit the vehicle. He told police that Cooper said she was hurt, and that’s when he realized she had been shot, according to the affidavit.

He was unable to provide a description of who was in the Charger.

Midwest City police checked the area and found two shell casings, but they appeared to be old and damaged.

After speaking with the boyfriend, police learned that Cooper had called 911 at 5:11 p.m. regarding harassment. The call was 44 minutes before police were alerted that Cooper had arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound, according to the affidavit.

Cooper told dispatchers that her boyfriend was driving around the Meadowood Village apartment complex while wearing a ski mask and threatening to harm her. She later said she could no longer see her boyfriend and would call back if she spotted him again. A police officer called back but got no answer.

An officer later went to Cooper’s address and spoke to her mother. However, according to the affidavit, a dispatcher entered the wrong caller’s name into the call notes. Cooper’s mother did not know who the officer was talking about.

Another officer later went back to Cooper’s address again and spoke with her mother. The mother said Cooper had recently become pregnant by her boyfriend who wanted her to get an abortion. She said Cooper had been threatened by her boyfriend over the pregnancy.

Police learned that Cooper’s boyfriend had a Midwest City municipal warrant. He was placed under arrest and transported to the police department.

Police searched the boyfriend’s SUV, where they found his pistol, cell phones and one spent shell casing on the driver’s side floor board. No bullet holes were observed inside or outside the vehicle.

After receiving a warrant, investigators searched the boyfriend’s phone. They found several texts between the boyfriend and Cooper showing they were upset with each other about the pregnancy. Police said texts in the days leading up to the shooting showed the couple arguing but there did not appear to be any threats of physical harm.

It appeared the boyfriend tried calling Cooper several times in the minutes leading up to Cooper calling 911.

Police checked surveillance cameras at the dispensary but couldn’t locate the shooting or the vehicles reportedly involved. The detective also noted that the shooting would have occurred in a heavily trafficked area during rush hour, but 911 didn’t receive any calls about a shooting in the area.

About 2:32 a.m. on Feb. 12, investigators again interviewed the boyfriend at the Midwest City Jail. He told the police that he would never hurt Cooper. He initially stuck to his original story before saying he made parts of it up.

“He stated he made up parts of the story because he was scared and wanted the shooting to look like it was self-defense,” the detective wrote in the affidavit.

The boyfriend said he and Cooper drove around including stopping by his mother’s house, but did not go into any businesses.

He allegedly told police that due to PTSD, he believed he was about to be shot at, so he grabbed his pistol and shot one time out the passenger window over Cooper.

The boyfriend said that Cooper thought he was “trippin” so she attempted to grab the gun from him, but he had already started pulling the trigger and the second bullet may have hit her.

He said if he shot Cooper, it was an accident. He was unsure if the Dodge Charger actually shot at him or not.

He was booked into the Oklahoma County jail on a complaint of second-degree murder.