Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
MAGNA — Unified police are hoping new information recently collected in the unsolved 2016 shooting death of a 22-year-old man will lead them to his killer.
On Feb. 11, 2016, the body of Chandler Michael Cooper, who lived in the Holladay-Millcreek area, was found by hikers near a trail by Saltair, a few hundred yards from the intersection of the North Temple Frontage Road and 11500 West.
Investigators believe someone drove Cooper to that location, where he was "basically executed," said Unified police detective Brandon Moore. "He was shot twice, once in the face and once in the chest, and then left there."
Two shell casings were recovered at the scene, but no gun. And no arrests have been made.
In October, Moore took over as the lead investigator in the case. Since then, he says multiple search warrants have been served and additional DNA has been collected. The plan, he said, was to "rework the case from the beginning."
In retracing Cooper's steps, Moore found "he was hanging out with a friend that night. That friend claims to have dropped him off in an area of Salt Lake, and that was the last time he was seen alive."
Police believe someone drove Cooper to the Saltair area but are unsure if it was completely by force or if he was coerced into going.
"Talking with friends, they said, 'We never knew him to go out there.' So I can't imagine that he went out there in the middle of February willingly," Moore said.
We're looking to get those people (Cooper's friends) back here to talk to us, hoping that something has weighed on them for several years, that they're ready to get off their chests.
–Unified police detective Brandon Moore
Cooper had run-ins with the law for drug-related crimes, and Moore says whatever happened on the night of his death may be tied to drugs or a robbery attempt. Since taking over the case, Moore has sent several items to the Utah State Crime Lab for DNA testing.
"They've been able to basically provide us with new information that we didn't have in 2016," he said.
Moore says he is now in the process of having recently collected DNA compared to DNA collected in 2016. Investigators do have people of interest, he said, and he's hoping additional information from the crime lab will push them in the right direction.
In a press release to the public, Unified police said, "We believe there are still people who we have not spoken to who may have information about what happened that night."
Moore is hoping that, in addition to new witnesses, some of the people detectives interviewed eight years ago will come back and speak with them again.
"Chandler had a tight group of friends. A lot of these friends were interviewed at the time of his murder, provided us with some information that was helpful. But I also believe that there was information that was definitely withheld from us eight years ago. Some people that knew him, some people that have probably heard things circulating since then — especially now that we're looking into it again (and) releasing new information to the press again — we're looking to get those people back here to talk to us, hoping that something has weighed on them for several years, that they're ready to get off their chests. And we're ready to listen to it," he said.
Anyone who has information about Cooper's death is asked to call Moore at 385-468-9812.
