Police say the suspect in the shooting death of a Greenwood woman was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Kentucky.
Greenwood police responded to a report of shots fired in the 600 block of Nicklaus Drive in the Courts of Valle Vista apartment complex around 5:02 p.m. Thursday. When police arrived, they found one person, later identified as Rachel Elizabeth Cooke, 35 of Greenwood, deceased inside the apartment. She appeared to have been shot multiple times, according to a Greenwood Police Department news release.
Cooke resided at the address, and police were investigating the death as a homicide, police said.
Early on in the investigation, several witnesses gave a detailed description of a man who was observed leaving the victim’s apartment shortly after gunshots were heard. The man was seen walking to his vehicle parked in front of the apartment and driving away, police said.
Later, detectives were able to quickly determine his identity by interviewing friends of the victim, and he was identified as a 35-year-old Franklin man. They also learned he had a romantic relationship with the victim, and that they both worked at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Facility, police said.
The suspect had met the victim at the apartment around 4:30 p.m. Thursday after she had returned home from work. Multiple gunshots were heard a short time later, followed by the suspect being observed leaving, police said.
The suspect was then tracked to Kentucky with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, where the task force had located him travelling on southbound Interstate 65. Kentucky State Police were then notified and their assistance was requested by law enforcement, police said.
Kentucky State Police located the suspect’s vehicle traveling on southbound I-65 near Bowling Green, Kentucky, and conducted a traffic stop on the suspect sometime after 9 p.m. The suspect initially complied and pulled his car over at Exit 30, which is about 208 miles from Greenwood, police said.
After pulling over, the suspect then shot himself with a handgun and was pronounced dead on the scene, police said.
The suspect’s identity is being withheld at this time pending notification of his next of kin, police said.
The Johnson County Coroner’s Office had formally identified Cooke as the victim of the shooting Friday morning, after conducting an autopsy on Friday. It was determined that Cooke died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds that resulted in her death, Coroner Mike Pruitt said in a media release.
The case remained under active investigation on Friday.
“We will leave no stone unturned until this case is solved,” Matt Fillenwarth, Greenwood assistant chief of police, said Thursday night.
Not many homicides happen in Greenwood, so anytime one does, it is a shock to the community. However, as the city grows, the likelihood of crimes like these do too, Fillenwarth said.
“It does not happen in this city that often,” Fillenwarth said Thursday. “I think the worst year we’ve had is three homicides and I’ve been here over 27 years.”
This is the first homicide of the year for Greenwood and no others have been reported in Johnson County.
County employees are being impacted by Cooke’s passing and county officials are taking measures to provide support, said Brandi Kirkdendall, county court administrator.
“We are aware of the tragic incident last evening involving two employees of the Dickinson Juvenile Justice Center,” Kirkendall said. “We express our heartfelt condolences to the families during this difficult time. The County has taken measures to provide additional support for colleagues who may be feeling overwhelmed.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Greenwood Police at 317-882-9191 or submit a tip anonymously online at greenwood.in.gov/police.
