NEWPORT NEWS, Va - Police arrested and charged 29-year-old Jamar Terrell Cooper with involuntary manslaughter this weekend after they say he ran over a
Jamar Cooper
pedestrian walking on the sidewalk.
According to police, 63-year-old Tony Brown was hit by Cooper around 3:40 a.m. Saturday morning near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Mercury Blvd.
Court documents say Cooper kept driving after hitting Brown and proceeded to hit a fire hydrant, power pole and several parked cars. Police pronounced Brown dead at the scene. Court documents say Cooper's car was found at the scene, but Cooper was not. While police were investigating the crash, court documents say Cooper returned to the scene.
According to court documents, Cooper told investigators that another car ran him off the roadway. However, he was unable to provide police with a description of the vehicle. Cooper admitted to police that he had two to three shots while in Norfolk around 12:30 a.m. but said he had not had anything else to drink, according to court documents.
The criminal complaint states that Cooper had glassy eyes and smelled like alcohol. Investigators say Cooper consented to a field sobriety test, where he blew a .089. Back at the station, he was given another test where he allegedly blew a .05. Court document say blood was also taken, the results of the blood test are not currently available.
According to court documents, Cooper told police he did not know that he hit a person. Documents describe the damage to Cooper's car, which included a smashed windshield with a blood trail leading to the roof of the car. Investigators say the damage is consistent with a victim being flipped on top of the car and rolling off following impact.
Cooper's Facebook page says he is a Special Education Instructional Assistant at George p. Phenix PreK-8 School. A spokesperson for Hampton City Schools said "This is a personnel matter and we do not comment on personnel matters. However, please note that that immediate and appropriate action has been taken."
Cooper has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. He has been released on his own recognizance. His next court date is scheduled for March 26.
