Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrested a suspect that they believe is responsible for the homicide of a 58-year-old man in May.
Christopher Sims, 30, was arrested on Friday, June 30, and charged with first degree murder with a firearm in the shooting death of James Cooper.
Cooper was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the 2000 block of Rivertree Circle on Saturday, May 27. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Sims is facing multiple other felony charges associated with his arrest, including possession of cocaine, battery, aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of heroin, and possession of a concealed weapon by a convicted felon.
Cooper’s death is one of several deaths caused by gun violence in the small community of Oak Ridge, which is a suburb of Orlando with an estimated population of around 25,000 residents.
In late April, 38-year-old Manuel DeJesus Guevara-Perez was found dead from gunshot wounds just a few blocks away from where Cooper was found. Guevara-Perez had celebrated his 38th birthday just a few weeks before he was killed.
In early April, 29-year-old Michele Lynn Mossuto was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the area of South Orange Blossom Trail and Americana Boulevard. She died from her injuries a short time thereafter and, in the weeks following, police arrested 25-year-old Kyle Carnley.