Fort Pierce Police Department, Florida
End of Watch: Tuesday, January 13, 1987
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: 524
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 12, 1987
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed, 20 years
Sergeant James Wouters and Lieutenant Cooper were shot and killed while participating in a drug raid at a mobile home at Midway and Christianson Roads in White City.
At 9:40 pm, Sergeant Wouters, Lieutenant Cooper, and a third officer entered the front of the home, identifying themselves as police officers. Once inside, there was a barrage of gunfire. The other officers on the scene called for backup and went to the house's perimeter. K9s entered the home, and two officers entered after them to retrieve the fallen officers.
One of the suspects fled during the gunfire and was never charged. The shooter was shot and killed during the gunfire. The third suspect confessed to the drug deal but received 20 years in prison for both murder charges and 15 years for drug charges to be served concurrently.
Sergeant Wouters was transferred to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and underwent surgery but succumbed to his injuries the following afternoon. Lieutenant Cooper died before midnight. The third officer was wounded but survived.
He was survived by his wife, who was working 911 dispatch when the call came in, and a daughter.
Sergeant Wouters was posthumously promoted.
On January 12, 2012, exactly twenty-five years after Lieutenant Grover C. Cooper III and Sergeant James A. Wouters were slain, the Fort Pierce Police Department Main Station was dedicated in their honor and officially renamed the Grover C. Cooper III, James A. Wouters Main Police Station.