Semaj YonTaè Abraham Cooper, 21, was fatally shot in Petersburg, Virginia, on the evening of April 4, 2024. The shooting began near the intersection of Virginia Avenue and High Pearl Street at about 5:45 p.m. Cooper was able to drive away after being shot but his vehicle struck a residence in the 100 block of St. Matthew Street; officers who arrived found him and a female passenger with gunshot wounds. Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene; the female passenger was taken to a hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.

Cooper’s mother said he had recently told her he feared for his safety. Investigators are treating the death as a homicide; no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. The Petersburg Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. Did anyone in the Petersburg area see activity around Virginia Avenue, High Pearl Street, or St. Matthew Street that night?