Yuma police fatally shot man armed with a spear
Jun 6, 2012, 7:31 PM | Updated: 8:30 pm
YUMA, Ariz. – A Yuma man has been fatally shot by police after he
allegedly attacked officers with a 4.5-foot spear.
Police identified the man as Michael Shawn Cooper. They say he died Wednesday
after being taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Police say the incident began at about 2:20 a.m. when officers responded to a
report of an alleged sexual abuse or assault at the Fairmont Apartments.
When officers arrived, they say Cooper became uncooperative and barricaded
himself inside the apartment and armed himself with a knife and began making
suicidal threats.
Nearly three hours into the standoff, police say Cooper threw the spear with a
6-inch metal tip toward officers and was shot once in the torso.
