Melton South shooting: Brodie Cooper fires rifle at neighbours after parking dispute
A Melton couple fed up with their neighbour parking on the nature strip decided to take matters into her own hands by confronting him with a hammer. But they picked the wrong guy to mess with.
North West
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A dangerous criminal barely out of prison six months shot at his Melton South neighbours after they told him not to park on their nature strip.
Brodie Cooper, 29, pleaded guilty in the County Court on December 13 to reckless conduct endangering persons and prohibited person possessing a firearm.
Today he was jailed for four years, with a minimum of two years and nine months, over the incident.
Cooper was confronted by his Moss St neighbour Sarah Reynolds just after 9am on May 23, 2018. She was angry Cooper had again parked on their nature strip.
Ms Reynolds – upset after the confrontation – rang her partner, Jason Lee, and asked him to leave work and return home.
The couple had been “experiencing difficulties” with their neighbours over rubbish, noise and parking on the nature strip in the fortnight leading up to the confrontation, the court heard.
Mr Lee arrived home, armed himself with a hammer and fought Cooper.
He and Ms Reynolds returned home after the fight was broken up but Cooper wasn’t done with.
Cooper — who has a face tattoo “Dead men tell no tails (sic)” — went to the garage at the rear of his home and re-emerged with a rifle.
He then marched next door with the weapon and pointed it at Ms Reynolds and Mr Lee.
Ms Reynolds told her partner to go inside but Mr Lee dared Cooper to shoot.
Mr Lee closed his eyes in “anticipation” but laughed after Cooper failed to shoot.
This angered Cooper who gritted his teeth, lowered the gun and fired a shot into the driveway near Mr Lee’s feet.
Concrete fragments struck Mr Lee’s leg.
Ms Reynolds called police and Cooper did a runner.
Investigators found a .30 bullet cartridge at the scene but the gun was never located.
Cooper was eventually arrested in Ballarat on June 20, 2018.
He admitted arguing with Ms Reynolds and fighting with Mr Lee but denied firing the gun.
Cooper – who claimed he thought Mr Lee was an outlaw bikie – told police Mr Lee yelled “I’m going to get my boys” after the pair fought.
He also claimed Mr Lee “probably threw the evidence of the discharged firearm on the ground”.
Cooper’s defence counsel submitted his client’s rehabilitation in prison had been “nothing short of remarkable”.
However, Judge Mark Dean said Cooper’s rehabilitation would “have to be extraordinary” as a community corrections order looked “out of the question”.
Judge Dean was also concerned Cooper had “already lied” about being in possession of the gun.
“I would be most reluctant to accept anything (Cooper) said,” Judge Dean said.
“What does that say about (Cooper’s) ‘remarkable’ rehabilitation?’ ”
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Cooper’s lengthy criminal history includes intentionally causing injury, prohibitive person possessing a firearm and assaulting police.
Cooper was on a CCO and out of jail less than six months when he committed his latest offence.
In 2011, Cooper was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court to a maximum six years’ prison for kidnapping and seriously injuring a Brunswick East woman.
Judge Dean said the sentencing justice in that matter warned Cooper was “likely to respond to slights with aggression”.
“Justice Kaye predicted what was going to happen,” Judge Dean said.
“Sadly (Cooper) is violent and he is dangerous.”
Sentencing Cooper today, Judge Dean said “the community needs to be protected from people like you”.
Cooper has already spent 546 days in pre-sentence custody.