A quiet Portland neighborhood turned into a war zone just after midnight when five armed teens allegedly pretended to be police, kicked in a front door — and shot a beloved pastor multiple times as he tried to save his 4-year-old grandson.
Kevin Cooper, 57, a minister at his local church, was inside his Southeast Ramona Street home on Nov. 1, 2025, when relatives say the suspects began pounding on the door, shouting that they were police.
They weren’t.
According to family members, the group forced their way inside after claiming to be law enforcement. What followed was chaos and gunfire.
Cooper reportedly moved instinctively, throwing himself between the gunmen and his young grandson. He was shot multiple times in front of horrified family members.
The pastor was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. For weeks, loved ones prayed for a miracle. But on Dec. 12, after more than a month of fighting for his life, Cooper died from complications tied to his gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide.
Grieving relatives say the attack was random and insist Cooper had no connection to the suspects.
“He was a God-fearing man that did everything right,” his older brother Albert told KPTV.
On Tuesday, authorities revealed that five suspects have been charged in connection with the deadly invasion.
Zyaire Eugene Carter, 19, and Ty’Davion Corshawn Burton were already behind bars on unrelated charges when they were indicted for Cooper’s murder. A grand jury also charged Jayden Joseph Sarinana, 18, and Jordan Cornelius Perkins, 18.
An unidentified 17-year-old male was also arrested.
Carter and Burton are facing first-degree murder charges, along with robbery, burglary and theft. They were already accused in a separate case involving attempted murder, reckless endangerment and multiple firearm offenses within Portland.
Sarinana, Perkins and the 17-year-old are charged with second-degree murder, assault, reckless endangerment and unlawful use of a vehicle.
Perkins was tracked down and captured by the U.S. Marshals Service on Feb. 5. The four adult suspects are being held without bond at the Multnomah County Detention Center. The 17-year-old is in juvenile detention.
All five have pleaded not guilty.
Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Palmer did not mince words.
“Kevin Cooper should still be with his grandchildren, his wife, and his church,” Palmer said. “We look forward to delivering justice for Mr. Cooper’s family.”
Portland Police Chief Bob Day called the killing “a tragedy in every way.”
But for Cooper’s family, the headlines and court dates can’t undo what happened inside that home.
A grandfather answered his door in the dead of night.
Men claiming to be police stormed in.
And in his final act, a pastor stood between evil and a child — and paid with his life.
The five killers should be given a very timely trial, conviction, and execution in the same manner that they perpetrated the crime. The punishment should fit the crime. Anything less is a travesty of justice. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Did the grandchild survive? I didn’t see that anywhere in this information
I have a backhoe if anyone needs one and lots of available land.
“TEENS” says it all.
Hang em! Hang em High in the town square!
Parents this is a wakeup call, evil is taking over our children!
A speedy fair trial, a quick conviction, and an equally quick execution !
I’m so sick & tired of hearing the word “alleged” in cases like this.
And with an execution, there is ZERO CHANCE of repeat offenses.
This is definitely a case where capital punishment DOES fit the crime !