Police say they got two 9-1-1 calls and two threats from Cooper. First, he said he had a gun and he'd shoot the first cop he saw ... then a threat to kill himself.
Officers got on scene within two minutes and Cooper was on the move ... by the time they confronted him, he was about three blocks away from his house and he was holding something that looked like a gun.
Police say he put the officers in a position where shooting him was their only choice ... but neighbors say that was an overreaction and they killed a good man.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said, "Walked towards one of the officers. Ran away from him and then walked back towards the officers, raised the gun, pointed it at them and that's when they fired."
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A neighbor said, "He fixed people. Like if I had any ... I could talk to him about anything. I mean, this is a big loss."
Police are calling it a clear case of suicide by cop and neighbors say Cooper was depressed after losing his brother and his best friend this month.
Police also say the gun Cooper pointed at officers was a replica. It looked like a semi-automatic handgun, but it couldn't actually fire any bullets.
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