Ga. mom seeks changes in police chase policy after crash kills son
ATLANTA, Ga. - An Atlanta mother wants to see changes in police pursuit policy after her son was allegedly hit and killed by a woman fleeing a state trooper in Little Five Points.
“It just feels empty,” said Kate Schoenke.
It’s only been one week since the worst notification Kate Schoenke has ever received on her phone.
“I got an alert that there had been an impact on the phone... and that he wasn’t moving. That his location wasn’t moving, that something wasn’t right,” said Schoenke.
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Kate rushed to her 19-year-old son Cooper’s location in Little Five Points.
“He had to be OK,” said Schoenke.
But Kate’s only son was dead. According to Georgia State Patrol, Cooper was hit by Faduma Mohamed, who ran a red light while leading troopers on a two-mile, high-speed chase.
“She wasn’t thinking of anybody when she went through that, except herself, in my opinion,” said Schoenke.
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But it’s not only Mohamed who Kate is mad at. She questions what troopers were thinking.
“What was the endgame? Was he going to do a PIT maneuver at Ponce and Moreland? I mean, where she was headed was more and more and more populated,” said Schoenke.
Now Schoenke wants change for chase procedures.
“I think there needs to be more checks and balances in how Georgia State Patrol is able to use their power on our streets,” said Schoenke.
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So innocents drivers and pedestrians like Cooper don’t leave their families behind.
“Always kind to a fault. He had a huge sense of justice for people and empathy for people,” said Schoenke. “I’ve never in his 19 years here gone more than 15 hours without talking to him in some shape or form.”
Georgia State Patrol officials said in a statement that law enforcement “faces one of the most difficult challenges imaginable, balancing the duty to protect life, with the responsibility to stop individuals who show no regard for the lives of others.”
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