Shooting over cellphone: Jeremy Cook's killers sought by London police
The shooting death of an 18-year-old man trying to retrieve his lost smartphone has prompted a manhunt in London, Ont., for three young men who were at the scene.
Jeremy Cook, a native of Brampton, Ont., was gunned down at about 5:15 a.m. ET on Sunday. London police found his body at the rear of a strip mall near Huron Street and Highbury Avenue in the city's north end. He had multiple gunshot wounds.
Cook had left his smartphone in a taxi and traced it electronically to an address on Highbury Avenue.
When he and a relative went to the address, he was confronted by three men in a car, London police Const. Ken Steeves told CBC News.
After a discussion about the phone, the men started to drive away and Cook dove onto the hood of the car. He was shot soon afterward.
Car and phone found
The car, a Mazda sedan, was found abandoned nearby, where it had hit a fence. Police also recovered Cook's phone and have obtained surveillance video from the area.
Steeves said that unlike in many violent cases, Cook had no connection to his attacker. He also said Cook had never been in trouble with police.
The police arrested three people near the scene, but they were found to be uninvolved and were released, Steeves said.
Local media in London said police are looking for three men estimated to be between the ages of 18 and 21:
- A black male, wearing a white shirt with a black design.
- A black male, with very short hair, wearing a black jacket or shirt and a fitted hat.
- A black male of slim build, wearing a blue shirt and a black hat.
Steeves said he has no problems with phone apps that trace the owners' phone location. However, while the shooting wasn't Cook's fault, people should step back and call police if there's any potential for violence, he said.
