MISSOULA – Court records show an officer-involved shooting in Missoula may have been a “suicide by cop.”
The Missoulian reports Jenessa Cooper was killed Nov. 18 in an encounter with police at her home. Cooper was found with one gunshot wound to the head, and an expended .45-caliber cartridge was located nearby.
However, records filed by the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation say a search warrant states “it is unknown at this time if the suspect died as a result of Officer (Joseph) Burger shooting at (Cooper) or by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”
Two of Cooper’s friends who spoke with the Missoulian about Cooper’s life prior to the search warrant’s filing say they suspect the incident may have been a “suicide by cop.”
Officer Burger is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.