On September 19, 2011, the body of 27-year-old Darick M. Cooper was found in a vacant house on Goodrich Street in Hamden, Connecticut. A New Haven resident, Cooper was discovered on a staircase in the afternoon after police responded to a call; he had been fatally shot once in the back of the head. The house had recently been declared uninhabitable because of a water leak and mold.

Hamden Police quickly classified the death as a homicide and an autopsy confirmed the cause as a gunshot wound. Family and friends gathered near the scene, creating a volatile atmosphere that required New Haven police assistance for crowd control. A cousin described Cooper as good-spirited and a beautiful person, and it was reported that he was an expectant father.

Reports indicate the killing was connected to gang violence: Cooper, described as a leader of a rival gang, was targeted by the New Haven–based Red Side Guerilla Brims. If anyone knew Darick Cooper, his movements that day, or has information about the Hamden house on Goodrich Street, please come forward with what you know.