On the evening of February 17, 2021, 19-year-old Joshua Cole Cooper was shot and killed at a Shell gas station on East State Boulevard and Hobson Road in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Cooper was with two friends, 19-year-old Anderson Retic and 20-year-old Jaylin Rice, when the group encountered 32-year-old Joseph D. Bossard. A verbal altercation ended when Bossard left but then returned in a red Chevrolet Silverado and opened fire on the vehicle carrying the three young men.

Cooper and Anderson Retic were killed at the scene; Jaylin Rice was critically injured and survived. Authorities charged Joseph D. Bossard with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated battery. Court filings during the case stated the attack included racial slurs directed at the three Black men, and hearings addressed Bossard’s competency to stand trial.

The shooting extinguished a promising young life and shattered two families. Does anyone who knew Joshua, Anderson, or Jaylin have memories or information to share that might help document their lives?