A man has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of the younger brother of former Lakers star Michael Cooper at a Pasadena park, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today.
Aaron Miguel Conell, 24, of Pasadena, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in a Pasadena courtroom on a murder count stemming from the killing of Mickey Cooper, 64, at Washington Park.
Conell is also charged with one count of attempted murder involving an alleged attack early Oct. 29 on a man who was shot in the neck at Washington Park, and one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm for allegedly walking up to a car and pointing a gun at a man seated in the driver's seat at a gas station in Pasadena just before 9:30 p.m. Nov. 5, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Mickey Cooper was found at 4 a.m. Saturday suffering from gunshot wounds after Pasadena police responded to a ShotSpotter gunshot detection alert in the 700 block of East Washington Boulevard, between Lake and El Molino avenues. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim's brother, Michael, was a defensive stalwart during the Lakers' ``Showtime '' championship era in the 1980s. After his playing career ended, he had various coaching positions, including as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks, guiding them to two WNBA titles. He is now the boys' basketball coach at Culver City High School.