Representatives From Several City Departments to Attend Washington Park Meeting

Representatives from the Pasadena Police Department, Parks, Recreation & Community Services, Public Works, and Housing will be in attendance at a meeting on Tuesday to discuss recent incidents at Washington Park.

Aaron Miguel Conell, 24, of Pasadena, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in a Pasadena courtroom on a murder count stemming from the killing of Mickey Cooper, 64, on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Conell has also been charged for the attempted murder of a second man shot in the park last month. 

He also faces one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm for allegedly walking up to a car and pointing a gun at a man seated in the driver’s seat at a gas station in Pasadena just before 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Mayor Victor Gordo, District 5 Councilmember Jess Rivas, and District 3 Councilmember Justin Jones will also be in attendance to share updates on steps the City will be taking to improve safety for all.

The incidents left local residents worried about public safety in the area. 

Police were alerted to the incidents via the ShotSpotter gunshot detection alert system. The alert may have saved the life of one of the victims who paramedics transported to Huntington Hospital. 

Conell remains jailed in lieu of $4.25 million bail.

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 Pasadena police Lt. Monica 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 additionally booked on suspicion of murder, Cuellar said.

Conell could face more than 50 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.