Crime & Safety
Sammy Cooper's Motorcycle Death: Reckless Homicide Charges Filed
The outpouring of love for Sammy after his accident is a testament to how many lives Sammy touched, Fred C. Dames Funeral Home said.
SHOREWOOD, IL — A 20-year-old Cicero man is now in the Will County Jail facing a $100,000 bail in connection with July's wreck killing talented Joliet tattoo artist Sammy Cooper. The 26-year-old Cooper was riding his motorcycle along U.S. 52 in Shorewood when the wreck happened near the Interstate 55 on and off ramps. Cooper died five days later in the hospital.
According to his criminal complaint, Joshua Nieves is charged with three counts of aggravated driving under the influence and two counts of reckless homicide.
The complaint states that Nieves was driving his Dodge Charger on July 9 while under the influence of marijuana as he turned left from Route 52 "failing to yield to a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction ... and by doing so collided with the motorcycle, which was being driven by (Sammy) Cooper, thereby causing the death of (Sammy) Cooper."
Find out what's happening in Shorewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Prosecutors stated that Nieves "knew or should have known that the vehicle he was driving was not covered by a liability insurance policy."
Court records show that Nieves has retained private counsel, hiring downtown Joliet criminal defense lawyer Ted Hammel. Joliet Patch has left a message seeking comment from Hammel, and this story will be updated if Hammel calls back.
Find out what's happening in Shorewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On July 16, Joliet Patch published Cooper's obituary through the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home.
"Sammy, a talented tattoo artist, was most recently practicing his craft at Flesh Gear Tattoos and Piercings. His work can be seen on countless members of the Joliet community and others all around the world," Cooper's obituary noted.
"He could almost always be found fixing up his cars and motorcycles. If he wasn’t doing it for himself, he was doing it for his friends, acquaintances, and even strangers he spotted on the side of the road. Sammy’s generosity and selflessness knew no bounds. He would give you the shirt off his back with a smile and a laugh that was so uniquely his you could recognize it from across the bar at Longshots."
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