Friends mourn 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke, calls for police pursuit policy reform

ATLANTA - Dozens of friends and family members gathered Saturday in East Atlanta Village to honor 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke, an innocent driver killed during a police pursuit earlier this week.

SEE ALSO: Advocates call for end to high-speed chases after deadly Little Five Points crash

Remembering Cooper Schoenke

What they're saying:

It was not only a memorial for Schoenke but also as a call for change. Loved ones are pushing for reforms to the Georgia State Patrol’s pursuit policy, which they say needlessly puts innocent lives at risk.

"We're not only celebrating a life that was lost tragically way too young, Cooper — a dear, dear friend, a young child with his whole life ahead — but we're pushing for reform," said Justin Gray, a longtime family friend. "We need to reform the GSP chase policy, that's why we're all here. It's a needless chase."

Cooper Schoenke. Courtesy photo (obtained with permission)

Gray, who described the tight-knit community that gathered in Schoenke’s memory, said the loss had devastated many.

"Half of these people I went to junior high with. I'm 51 years old. This is a huge city in a tiny town and we're a tight community," he said. "Kate, Cooper's mother, is everyone's mom. She's the most loving, caring person, and that's why you see the turnout you see today — in support of her and her family."

Schoenke’s sister, who just turned 16 last week, was also there to mourn the loss of her brother.

"This isn't radical reform. This is rational reform," Gray said. "We can't have more teenage victims. We can't have any victims."

Georgia, he argued, leads the nation in police pursuits resulting in fatalities, calling the situation "obscene" compared to larger states like California.

"No parent should have to go through this," he said. "This is terrible. Everyone here knows Cooper. Look at these pictures, look at everyone — this is unreal."

Gray said he will miss Schoenke’s humor, his towering height, and even his mustache — small but vivid memories of a life taken too soon.

Little Five Points chase, crash

The backstory:

A high-speed chase on Interstate 20 ended in tragedy last Monday when a Georgia State Patrol trooper attempted to stop a speeding vehicle, leading to a fatal collision at a busy intersection.

Authorities report that the incident began when the trooper observed 23-year-old Faduma Mohamed speeding and weaving through traffic on eastbound I-20 near Boulevard. Despite attempts to pull her over, Mohamed failed to comply, prompting the trooper to initiate a pursuit that eventually exited the highway.

The chase came to a devastating conclusion at the intersection of Moreland Avenue and McLendon Avenue. Officials say Mohamed ran a red light, colliding with a Honda driven by 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke. Witnesses described the impact as severe, pushing Schoenke's vehicle nearly a block from the point of collision.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and used extraction equipment in an attempt to reach Schoenke, but tragically, he could not be saved.