According to the website of the Army Times on the 16th, local police revealed that a man was arrested by the police on Monday, North Carolina local time, on charges of shooting at the U.S. military recruitment center in Greensboro. U.S. Army officials said that the man did this after learning that he was disqualified from the army earlier that day.
Marine Corps 4th District Spokesman Captain Ryan Lowcher said there were four Marines in the building at the time of the shooting, and Terri Russell, a spokesman for the Naval Recruitment Command, confirmed that at the time of the shooting, two seas Military conscripts are also in the building.
At present, the U.S. Army Recruitment Command, the Air Force Recruitment Office and relevant people have revealed that there are no casualties in the navy, army and air force.
Ron Glenn, a public information officer of the Greensboro Police Department, said that James Alexander Cooper, 36, stood outside the door and shot at about 6:20 p.m. that day.
At the time of the shooting, there were people in the recruitment center, and Cooper was arrested near the scene of the accident.
Russell, spokesman of the Naval Recruitment Command, said that the soldiers successfully set up bunkers behind bulletproof benches and compartments.
A bulletproof office compartment baffle seems to block at least one bullet through two doors. At least one Marine was sitting in the cubicle at the start of the shooting, according to people familiar with the matter.
“The detained suspects applied for enlistment but were disqualified,” said Ward, spokesman for the US AREC. Ward did not reveal Cooper’s name or explain why he was disqualified. But Cooper allegedly has several pending criminal charges statewide, which will certainly prevent him from joining the army.
Cooper has been trying to enlist in the Army at Greensboro Station for more than a year, a source familiar with Cooper’s plan to join the army.
Currently, Cooper is listed as a prisoner at the center of Greensboro City Prison. He was charged with shooting at a manned building, which is a Class E felony in North Carolina, according to court records, in addition to six misdemeanor charges of assaulting others with lethal weapons, and one misdemeanor charge for concealed possession of a gun.
The summons are scheduled for January 7 in Guildford County. In addition to Monday’s shooting allegations, Cooper was also charged with felony property damage, felony theft, felony of forgery, felony theft and felony burglary. In 2019, Cooper was also charged for a hit-and-run.
