Contact: Candy Priano, Executive Director
(530) 343-9754 (W) (530) 519-9754 (C)
candy.priano@pursuitsafety.org

Justice: Often an empty word for innocent victims of police chases

Convicted felon attempts to have sentence reversed

Independence, MO—Convicted felon Wilfredo Pujols, Jr. will be in court July 28 attempting to have his guilty plea and 15-year sentence thrown out. Pujols, fleeing from the Independence police, killed Cheryl Cooper’s son Christopher Cooper, 17, an innocent bystander, in 2007.

On Nov. 8, 2007, Cooper was riding his bike home and legally crossing the street when Pujols, traveling in excess of 80 mph while fleeing from police, struck Chris. Police said they chased Pujols after he committed an assault.

Pujols pleaded guilty to four felony counts for second-degree murder, resisting arrest, and two hit and runs. On April 23, 2009, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

"Justice is an empty word," said Cooper, as she again must face the man responsible for killing her son. "Christopher was a loving son and cared about other people. He had often talked about becoming a firefighter. The court's ability to hold people accountable is the only form of justice we have. We expect criminals to be held accountable for their choices."

Joining Cheryl Cooper in the courtroom will be Candy Priano, executive director of Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY, a national nonprofit organization that reaches out to the families of innocent victims impacted by vehicular police pursuits and response calls. More than 50 people are expected to attend the hearing to support the movement “Justice for Christopher Cooper.”

“Stories of injustice and justice delayed to law-abiding Americans and a tendency to trivialize deaths of innocent bystanders is common,” Priano says. “I understand Cheryl’s devastation. When my daughter Kristie, also an innocent bystander, was killed in 2002, I read in the newspaper that the fleeing driver was not even arrested after the chase. Police sent the driver, a teenage girl, home with her mother. Later, she would serve one year in juvenile hall for killing Kristie.

“These deaths are not accidents,” Priano continued. “Pujols made a decision to flee from the police. These tragedies repeat themselves throughout the United States, leaving behind hundreds of families every year; families such as Christopher’s family, whose lives are shattered--forever.”

The hearing is July 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Jackson County Circuit Court, Division 17 in Independence.

"I receive endless support from the people of PursuitSAFETY,” Cooper said. “This public safety issue is a national problem. Families whose loved ones have died innocently during police chases and police response calls are no longer alone. Candy has been there for me after Christopher was killed. Through her own loss, she has reached out to others to provide much needed guidance and direction. I do not know what I would have done without her kindness and caring."

About Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY
PursuitSAFETY is the sole national nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives of innocent bystanders and police officers as a result of police pursuit and response call crashes. Learn more at www.pursuitsafety.org.

Contacts for your story:
Candy Priano, founder and executive director of PursuitSAFETY, continues to work for a safer way so others will not have to endure the pain that she and thousands of others have suffered. A 2002 police chase through a residential neighborhood ended when a fleeing teenager, who officers knew had taken her mother's car without permission, slammed into Priano’s minivan right where her daughter Kristie, wearing her seatbelt, was sitting. It took seven days for Kristie to die, but only a few hours for the police to send the teen home with her mother. She was not even arrested. Later she would serve one year in juvenile hall. Kristie died from a massive closed-brain injury, a crushed brain stem, and extensive swelling that caused her brain to rupture. (530) 343-9754 (W) (530) 519-9754 (C) candy.priano@pursuitsafety.org

Jonathan Farris, board chairman for PursuitSAFETY, lost his son Paul in 2007. Paul, an innocent victim, died as a result of an unnecessary police chase in the Boston area. Jon is an advocate for changing police pursuit laws across the United States. (612) 804-5868 (C) jon@paulfarris.org

News Alert ... August 8, 2011

Continuances mean we stick together and fight harder

Hearing re-scheduled Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, at 9:30 a.m.

Independence, MO--Continuances for a Post Conviction Relief Hearing.will not stop family and friends of Christopher Cooper or PursuitSAFETY from seeking justice. Judge Jack Grate, Jackson County Circuit Court, Division 17, granted a fifth continuance to convicted felon Wilfredo Pujols, Jr. Pujols wants his guilty plea and 15-year sentence thrown out. Judge Grate could have denied this hearing altogether. Now, Christopher's family waits.  

"Trying to prepare ourselves once again to face the person responsible for Christopher's death takes an emotional toll on all of us who love Chris," Cheryl Cooper said. "I have to steel myself for it, only to learn that the hearing is postponed again."  

While fleeing from the Independence police, Pujols struck and killed Christopher, 17, an innocent bystander, in 2007. In regard to the recent hearing, Judge Grate, said, "No more continuances" when he scheduled the hearing for July 28. Yet, Judge Grate granted his fifth continuance on July 27.  

On behalf of PursuitSAFETY, executive director Candy Priano will attend the November 18th hearing. She was at the Sacramento Airport July 27th, ready to check in for her flight to Independence, when she received the call that Judge Grate issued another continuance. If you live in or near Independence, we look forward to seeing you at the November 18, 2011, hearing.