After the father of her two children was murdered in April 2020, Natalia Cooper began receiving death threats.
Fearing for her life, Cooper moved to 3rd Company, Indian Walk, Princes Town and kept her address secret from most. Despite this, the people who wanted her dead found her and made good on their threats on Ole Year's Night. She was with her two infant sons but they did not care. Cooper, 25, was shot multiple times while her three-year-old was grazed twice on his left leg. Her other son who turned two last month was not injured. Police believe that her killers may have followed her home.
According to a police report, around 8.30 pm on Thursday, she returned home and was reversing down the sloped driveway leading to her garage when the assailants opened fire on her. Her vehicle crashed into a wall. Residents took Cooper and her older son to the Princes Town Health Facility after they found them bleeding in the car. But, she was already dead by the time they arrived there. Her older son was treated and transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital in a stable condition. A bullet grazed his angle and one of his toes on his left leg. He underwent surgery yesterday for the injury to his toe.
Last April, Cooper's boyfriend, Kadeem Jordon, was gunned down in Pleasantville. He was driving his Mercedes Benz when a vehicle crashed into his and the occupants fired several shots at him. Police believed that his death was drugs-related.
One of Cooper's relatives who requested anonymity said that on Thursday the nail technician dropped her sons by their father's relatives in Pleasantville and went to work. She had two appointments with clients that day. The relative said she spoke with her about an hour before she was killed. "She forgot a pot and she went back for it and she stopped by the babysitter out the road to collect fish that she cooked for her and the children and she went home." She found out about the shooting from the babysitter.
Residents did not see anything, but the relative said it appeared that Cooper came out of the car, opened the gate and was attacked when she returned to the car. "If it is they so wanted to do that, why they would wait for her to reach back in the car knowing that her children in her car?" She said Cooper had multiple wounds to her hands, legs, belly, and behind her neck. She believes that Cooper was murdered because of her connection with Jordon. However, she denied that Cooper was involved in illegal activities. She recalled that after Jordon's murder, Cooper and one of Jordon's female relatives began receiving death threats. Cooper moved to another address and although she moved on with her life she was cautious. She was not aware if Cooper received any recent threats. "She was cautious, she did not want people to know where she was living and thing." The relative was not confident that she would get justice. "We still waiting for justice for the (children's) father." An autopsy is expected to be done this week at the Forensic Science Centre, Port-of-Spain. Investigations are continuing.