APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man who climbed on a roof at an Appleton church complex, fired shots in the air, and held police at bay has been convicted.
James Cooper pleaded no contest Monday to several counts, including first-degree recklessly endangering safety and discharging a gun in school zone for the May 19, 2022 incident at St. Bernadette Parish.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 21, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint, police responded to St. Bernadette Parish for man who climbed on to a roof, and fired a shot. After more than an hour and a half, Cooper agreed to come off the roof.
At the jail, Cooper “advised he would fight, injure and possibly kill anyone he could in order to not be placed at either a hospital or institution,” the complaint states.
Cooper told police he went to Iris Place to help him cope with the anniversary of his mother’s suicide, but eventually argued with a staff member. He then got a weapon and brought it there.
Iris Place is a counseling center on the church campus, but is not operated by the church.
“James stated he fired because he wanted law enforcement to respond as he wanted people to understand his story and what he was going through,” the complaint states. “James stated he had not wanted to hurt anyone.”
No one was injured.
