Ex-Police Officer Holds Press Conference After Standoff Ends

UPDATE
Ex-Jeffersonville cop says PTSD led to his suicidal standoff
WVAE 3 News
By Katie Bauer
Friday, February 26th 2016

SELLERSBURG, IN (WAVE) – A former Jeffersonville police officer won't face charges after he was the center of a several-hour standoff in his own home Friday morning.

This all played out along west Utica Street in Sellersburg.

Steve Cooper was a Jeff police officer for 12 years. During that time he was a SWAT sniper and undercover narcotics officer. He says he is upset with how his career unfolded after he said he opened up about suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Armed and barricaded for nearly seven hours, the standoff ended after Cooper walked out of his house peacefully to meet police.

“This was kind of a breaking point for me," he said. "I had some conversations that went awry and I got depressed and had some liquid courage and was just to the point where maybe it was time to end my life.”

Family called police, concerned and tried to help.
read more here
wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather

Former Jeffersonville police officer surrenders after standoff in Sellersburg
WDRB News
By Sitarah Coote
By Stephan Johnson
Posted: Feb 26, 2016

Steven Cooper barricaded himself in a home in Sellersburg for several hours on Feb. 26, 2016.

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- An armed man who barricaded himself inside a home on West Utica Street in Sellersburg early Friday has surrendered.

Sellersburg Police Deputy Chief Mark Levesque says officers were called about 2:30 a.m. to check on a man in the home that might be suicidal.

The man, identified as Steven Cooper, surrendered around 9:15 a.m. He says he is a former police officer with the Jeffersonville Police Department and wants to expose corruption.

After holding police at bay for several hours, the man inside the home -- now identified as Steve Cooper -- actually put the guns down and walked right up to our cameras and held an impromptu press conference to explain why this all happened.

"Tonight was kind of a breaking point for me," Cooper said. "We had some conversations, and they went awry, and I got depressed and and had some liquid courage and got to the point that I was thinking that maybe it's time to end my life."

But instead of ending his life, Steve Cooper, a former Jeffersonville Police officer, walked out of his house. Cooper says he left the Jeffersonville Police Department in August and has been struggling ever since.

He blames his struggles and what happened Friday morning on post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
read more here

WDRB 41 Louisville News