Almost a month into the new year, the City of Newburgh is off to a rocky start with a senseless shooting on Friday evening. Jermaine Cooper, 40, was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s Hospital at 2 p.m.

The incident started at 10:30 p.m. when 9 gunshots were fired and detected by the City’s “Shot Spotter” system. A block away Kevindaryan Lujan, Orange County Legislator, was walking with some friends and heard the shots go off.

“We all heard the multiple gunshots that sounded like firecrackers,” said Lujan. “Within 30 seconds it was confirmed it was in fact gunshots, within less than 2 minutes a vehicle was identified and within 5-7 minutes the crime scene was shut down.”

Upon arrival to the scene police located Cooper and he was brought to St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital. They were informed that a white SUV was the cause of the shooting. Cameras throughout the city were used to locate the car driving towards Rte. 9W.

Officer Hannah Lake from the Town of Newburgh attempted a traffic stop on the car which resulted in a high speed chase until the vehicle crashed in the City of Poughkeepsie.

The four men in the car were arrested and taken to City of Newburgh Police Headquarters. The men in the car were all Poughkeepsie and Arlington residents.

Kyreem Seeiman, 18 and Tysheed McPhee, 23, of Poughkeepsie were charged with 2nd-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Donell Johnson, 24, of Poughkeepsie, and Steven Williams, 29, of Arlington, were charged with 2nd-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

The incident comes after a year with the lowest crime rate in Newburgh history. The incident is being investigated by the City of Newburgh Police Department. They urge anyone with information to call 845-561-3131. Calls can remain anonymous.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank our City of Newburgh Police Department,” said Lujan. “While everyone runs away from the gunshots you all run towards them. Thank you for keeping us safe. All too often your hard work and dedication goes unseen. I applaud your bravery and commitment and feel truly honored to call many of you friends.”