Pasadena Police to Give Update on Killing of Ex-Laker Michael Cooper’s Brother

An aerial view of Pasadena’s Washington Park at 700 E. Washington Blvd. showing the basketball court where, former L.A. Laker Michael Cooper said, he and his brother Mickey, confirmed as a shooting victim Saturday, used to play basketball together. [Screenshot from City of Pasadena video]

Police Wednesday are scheduled to give an update on the fatal shooting of Mickey Cooper, the younger brother of former Lakers star Michael Cooper.

The Pasadena Police Department’s Robbery Homicide Unit will deliver the update at a Wednesday news conference on the front steps of City Hall.

A 24-year-old Pasadena man, Aaron Miguel Conell, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of fatally shooting the 64-year-old Mickey Cooper. Detectives took Conell into custody after identifying him as a suspect, said Pasadena PD Lt. Monica Cuellar.

Conell had been set to appear in court in Pasadena on Tuesday, but his appearance was put off until Monday. It was unclear exactly what charge or charges he is facing.

He remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail, according to sheriff’s records.

Police coordinated an arrest operation with members of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force and the department’s SWAT and K-9 units, according to Cuellar.

Conell was initially booked at the Pasadena City Jail on suspicion of assault with a firearm, but detectives obtained additional evidence, so he was also booked on suspicion of murder, Cuellar said.

Mickey Cooper was found in Pasadena’s Washington Park at 4 a.m. Saturday suffering from gunshot wounds after Pasadena PD officers responded to a ShotSpotter gunshot detection alert in the 700 block of East Washington Boulevard, between Lake and El Molino avenues.

Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s brother, Michael, was a defensive stalwart during the Lakers’ “Showtime ” championship era in the 1980s. After his playing career ended, he had various coaching positions, including as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks, guiding them to two WNBA titles. He is now the boys’ basketball coach at Culver City High School.

“We lived 10 houses down (from) here,” Michael Cooper told ABC7, referring to Washington Park. “This is a park where we grew up playing. That’s why he felt comfortable and safe here.”

The ex-Laker said his brother struggled for several years with drug addiction.

“We tried to help him all through this process,” Michael Cooper told ABC7. “And he chose to live this life, but that doesn’t mean that somebody can come take his life.”

Anyone with information about the killing was asked to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800- 222-8477 or tips can be sent to lacrimestoppers.org.