Felon Accused Of Shooting Roommate Charged With Attempted Murder

MURRIETA, CA —A 39-year-old felon accused of chasing down and shooting his roommate during an altercation that erupted over money was charged Monday with attempted murder and other offenses.

Dante Trimell Cooper was arrested Wednesday after the alleged attack in the 300 block of West Kimball Avenue, near State Street.

Along with the attempted murder count, Cooper was charged with being a felon in possession of a gun, being a felon in possession of ammunition and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

He was being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and is slated to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon at the Banning Justice Center.

According to Hemet police Lt. Nathan Miller, about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Cooper was involved ina heated exchange with his roommate, identified only as a 42-year-old man with the initials "J.M.," at their Kimball Avenue apartment.

Miller said the argument, evidently connected to cost-sharing, escalated into a fight, and the roommate "hit (the defendant) in the face and head and began running."

"(Cooper) chased after the man and then shot him several times," the lieutenant alleged.

Patrol officers reached the location within a couple of minutes and found the victim wounded but conscious, according to Miller.

He said the man pointed out Cooper, who was nearby, and the felon was taken into custody without a struggle.

The victim was taken to a trauma center for surgery and is recovering, according to the police spokesman.

Cooper was treated for his injuries and transported to the Murrieta jail hours later.

Court records show the defendant has prior felony convictions in another jurisdiction, but they weren't specified.