Acting Governor Mike Kehoe ordered U.S. and Missouri flags be flown at half-staff at all government buildings in Jasper and Newton counties on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, from sunrise to sunset in honor of Joplin Police Corporal Benjamin Lee Cooper.
State government departments are responsible for distributing this information throughout your department for compliance with this order.
Mark Hill,
Director, OA FMDC
WHEREAS, Benjamin Lee Cooper enlisted in the U.S. Army and served honorably from 1995 to 2001; and
WHEREAS, Benjamin Lee Cooper graduated from Missouri Southern State University Law Enforcement Academy on December 11, 2003, earned his Missouri Peace Officer license that same day, and was commissioned by the Joplin Police Department as a police officer on February 1, 2004; and
WHEREAS, after almost five years of service, Officer Cooper left the Joplin Police Department in December 2008 to serve as a deputy sheriff in the State of Colorado; and WHEREAS, after returning to the State of Missouri, Officer Cooper was once again commissioned by the Joplin Police Department on June 17, 2013, and throughout his honorable service, he demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting others, even if it meant putting his own life at risk; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, Benjamin Lee Cooper was promoted to the rank of corporal; and WHEREAS, on March 8, 2022, Corporal Cooper and Officer Jake Reed bravely responded to a disturbance call at a shopping center in the 400 block of Geneva A venue in Joplin and was mortally wounded as the officers attempted to take a gunman into custody; and
WHEREAS, law enforcement officers courageously and selflessly strive to ensure the safety and well-being of their fellow citizens; and
WHEREAS, the people of the State of Missouri are thankful for the brave individuals in law enforcement who consider the welfare of others a personal responsibility and work tirelessly to protect the lives and property of their fellow citizens.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mike Kehoe, upon express authorization of Governor Michael L. Parson, and while serving as Acting Governor, as a mark of respect for the death of
CORPORAL BENJAMIN LEE COOPER
and for his bravery and service to the Joplin Police Department do hereby order that the flag of the United States and the flag of Missouri shall be flown at half-staff at all government buildings in the counties of Jasper and Newton, Missouri, for one full day on March 15, 2022, from sunrise to sunset.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, in of Jefferson, this 14th day of March, 2022.