JOPLIN, Mo. (KSNF) – A somber day within the metropolis of Joplin and a neighborhood is in mourning as tons of gathered on the Missouri Southern campus to pay their respects to Corporal Ben Cooper.
“As we speak is a day of grieving. Ben. Keep in mind his tales. Keep in mind how he was enthusiastic about sure issues and the way we pulled jokes on Ben. And the way we laughed collectively. People, Ben won’t ever be very removed from us,” mentioned Rev. John Newberry.
“The query is why? Why did this occur? Why?” mentioned Brian Henderson.
Corporal Cooper was killed within the line of responsibility on Tuesday, March eighth after responding to a disturbance name at a neighborhood procuring complicated.
Sloan Rowland, JPD Chief, mentioned, “I cannot converse of the horrific act that introduced us right here as we speak. As a substitute, I select to deal with the sacrifice and the legacy of Ben Cooper.”
“Ben was rock stable. I’d at all times informed my spouse, if I’d ever get in a nasty scenario, I’d need Ben there by my facet as a result of I knew I’d stand so much higher probability of getting by way of it. And we’d been by way of so much fo time like that collectively. That’s why it’s such a shock for me. We’d been by way of plenty of instances collectively and we had been one way or the other in a position to get by way of it each time,” mentioned Randy Black, Joplin Police Division.
Those that spoke, lovingly referred to as him “Coop,” thanked him for his service, and shared tales of their time with him.
“It’s not only a career, it was his calling. He tried to get away from it as soon as, however couldn’t. He got here again. He really liked his job and what he was doing. Coop made the final word sacrifice for this neighborhood and for his household, and for his brothers and sister of the Joplin Police Division,” mentioned Chief Rowland.
“Those who knew Coop effectively knew that he was any individual who mentioned precisely what he thought. He didn’t maintain something again. If he thought one thing about you, he thought a sure approach about you, you knew it as a result of he didn’t sugar coat,” mentioned Henderson.
Black added, “I simply love my buddy and I’m going to overlook him.”
“Coop shall be significantly missed, so I say Godspeed Corporal Ben Cooper, we have now the watch over the town and we have now the watch over your loved ones,” mentioned Chief Rowland.
Corporal Cooper obtained full honors for his final sacrifice together with a gun salute, a flyover, and his final name.