Almost three months after he was shot in the face while chasing a shoplifting suspect, Covington Police Officer Matt Cooper is making progress with recovery and rehab at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. He's walking and talking. The man who shot him on Labor Day outside a Wal Mart store in Newton County later shot and killed himself.
From WSB TV…
The Covington officer who was shot in the head responding to a shoplifting call on Labor Day is speaking for the first time exclusively with Channel 2 Action News.
Channel 2's Mark Winne sat down with Officer Matt Cooper and his wife, Kristen Cooper, at the Shepherd Center, where the officer is recovering from a brain injury.
Cooper told Winne that he is thankful for the support his family has received and that he draws his strength from the important things.
“Our community, God, my wife, our kids and music," he said. "I feel very appreciative of all the donations and prayers, support from my community.
Kristen Cooper said the bullet hit her husband in the face as he chased after a shoplifter on Labor Day. She told Winne that she was not sure if he would survive.
“There was probably about five or six days where it was kind of, we didn’t really know. Once we got past that, then you kind of wonder about what his quality of life will be. With Matt being a very physical person, I wanted him to have a good life still," she said.
Kristen Cooper said her husband continues to make progress in his recovery and he is beating early expectations with guidance from physical therapists.
“Matt is an incredibly hard worker. I think from the beginning of time here, no matter what obstacles he had in his way, he wanted to work,” said Amanda Hecht, a physical therapist with Shepherd Center.
The Coopers are thankful for prayers and financial donations that will help with expenses on his longroad back.
“This has been a horrible tragedy in our life, but tragedies don’t usually have happy endings,” Kristen Cooper said. “We still get to go home at some point, have a life. Our kids get to have their dad back.”
Cooper was responding to a shoplifting call in Covington on Labor Day. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said three men were attempting to steal bandanas when officers responded to the scene.
A Covington police sergeant and Cooper chased one of the suspects Aaron Fleming across the street and behind another shopping center.
As the sergeant turned the corner, he said he saw Fleming shoot Cooper and then take off into the woods. The teen was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Cooper underwent emergency surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and few weeks later transferred to the Shepherd Center.
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