Johnny David Cooper II is the Morganton Public Safety officer involved in the Sunday night shooting death of 17-year-old Michael Blake Sipes.
NC Department of Justice public information officer Noelle Talley said in an e-mail that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations is investigating Cooper’s role in the incident at Independence Park on Air Park Drive.
City of Morganton attorney Steve Settlemyer said Public Safety hired Cooper Jan. 20, 2003 and his current salary is $45,127.10.
Cooper was placed on paid administrative leave as of Monday, Settlemyer said.
Sipes was shot at his residence shortly before midnight Sunday.
Public Safety officials said two officers responded to the scene for an unknown disturbance at the mobile home park.
Public Safety Chief Mark Tolbert said officers received the call at 11:40 p.m. Sunday. A second call went out at 11:45 p.m. reporting shots fired.
Morganton Public Safety Maj. Billy Bradshaw said the department is not releasing the call to dispatch reporting the noise complaint because of the ongoing SBI investigation.
Michael Sipes’ mother, Kimberly Sipes, said someone pounded on her door and she asked who was there. No one answered and her son asked who was at the door three more times.
After the last time, Michael Sipes, holding a .22-caliber rifle, opened the door and didn’t see anything, Kimberly Sipes said. That’s when he was shot four or five times in the abdomen.
The Sipes’ roommate Megan Melatt said her three children, ages 4 months to 6 years, were making a lot of noise in the home that night.
Additionally Melatt and her boyfriend Korey Forney were arguing in the bedroom.
Forney, who also lives at the mobile home, said the couple did not hear the officers pull up or identify themselves.
Melatt said she heard someone beating on the door, but did not hear anyone identify himself as a police officer.
Tolbert said officers don’t have to announce their presence, but said it is the norm for Public Safety officers to identify themselves.
Forney said the next thing the pair heard were gunshots.
Melatt said they rushed to the door where Kimberly Sipes was screaming about someone shooting her son.
Melatt said Michael Sipes had only recently acquired the gun.
Talley said Cooper is the only Public Safety officer under investigation at this time in connection to the shooting.
Neither the SBI nor Public Safety has released the name of the second officer who responded to the scene. The second officer also was placed on paid administrative leave.
Typically SBI agents who do not work directly with the agency involved are assigned to handle officer-involved shooting investigations, Talley wrote in her e-mail. The agents conduct their investigation, gather evidence and provide the information to the District Attorney.
The DA evaluates the information and determines how to proceed, Talley said.
Tolbert indicated Public Safety officers have responded to the mobile home in the past. During the last year, Public Safety officers visited twice: most recently for a noise complaint at 10:46 p.m. Aug. 20 and for noise violation at 10:36 p.m. June 16, but it is not known who was living at the residence on those dates.
The incident report will be released later this week, Bradshaw said.
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