PLEASE DONATE TO THE GOFUNDME LINKED HERE: All donations made to this GoFundMe will be going towards lawyer fees to help the child's Mother fight this case!

Support@GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/11-yo-stabbed-by-father-bring-home-to-his-mother

On the morning of May 12, 2020,
10:30AM Perry Hall, Maryland: 11-year-old was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver by his father, Reginald Cooper. The boy's phone was smashed and broken the morning this event took place by his father and was unable to call anyone for help. Prior to stabbing the 11-year-old, his father Reginald Cooper yelled “I’m going to kill him!” And proceeded to stab his son in the head. The young boy ran to a neighbor's house for help. While 3 neighbors were trying to assist the child, Reginald Cooper then began to assault them, as well a police officer who arrived at the scene. The child was then transported to an area hospital. 

It was previously reported back in 2009 that the child has suffered from abuse, sexually and physically at the age of 1 week old by his father to CPS and the court system. The father was given physical custody of the child. Both the mother as well as the father was given joint legal custody of the child. The child’s Biological Mother was also given unsupervised visitation ordered by the court. The Mother has been actively involved in the child’s life from birth 2009 and still currently in the year of 2020. 

After the stabbing of the 11 year old boy took place, Reginald Cooper was then arrested and charged with 11 charges following: ATTEMPTED 1ST DEG. MURDER, ATTEMPTED 2ND DEG. MURDER, Child Abuse 1ST DEG: SEVERE PHY, Child Abuse 2ND DEG, Dangerous Weapon-INT/INJURE, and 4 counts of Assault in the 2ND DEG.

Story made headlines on the news, but it did not give names identifying who the victim was or the attacker. It only stated that an 11-year-old boy was stabbed in the head by his father in Perry Hall, Maryland. The child’s mother seen the news on social media 2 hours after it was reported and immediately began calling her son and the father Reginald Cooper. She received no answer from her son nor his father and began calling the police asking who the 11-year-old boy was and the father, officers said they did not know further information. During this time, none of the child’s paternal family contacted the mother telling her what happened. The mother requested a Welfare Check from law enforcement to identify if it was her son, officers stated that they would send an officer out, but they didn’t know what time they could do it because they were ‘busy.’ The maternal aunt and maternal grandmother went to the block of the father's house waiting for officers to arrive to do a Child Welfare Check on the child. When they arrived, the child's paternal grandmother was sitting outside of the house in a parked vehicle. The maternal aunt proceeded to ask where the child and the father is. The paternal grandmother began to withhold information and only stated that the child was with the Paternal Uncle, she did not inform them that the child was stabbed by his father and had been transported to the hospital. The maternal aunt asked for a contact number and address and asked again where the father was. The paternal grandmother said, “I don’t have any contact information for him.” and ignored the questioning about the father. The maternal aunt asked “Can you call him on the phone? We seen the news and wanted to make sure that the stabbed victim wasn’t my nephew.” The paternal grandmother stated, “He is with his uncle and I don’t have a contact number for him.” and did not acknowledge anything about the stabbing. During this time, the child’s mother was calling local hospitals giving the child’s name, asking if he was there, hospitals stated that he was not. 

An hour went past, and the police department did not contact her back with any information. The Welfare check was not completed. After 2 hours, it was finally confirmed that it was her child that had been stabbed by his father. Once the child's Mother arrived at the hospital, Hospital Staff stated that the child had been released and given to an unidentified  ‘Uncle and Aunt’. The child’s mother called law enforcement again requesting for a missing child report that was denied. Law enforcement stated that the child was ‘okay’ and no further information given on who he was with or where he was. The Uncle and Aunt does not have parental rights or custody over this child. Hospital policy in the state of Maryland states that, a child cannot be released from the hospital unless a parental guardian signs off or gives written documentation allowing the child to be released to a specific person. In this case that did not occur. CPS was NOT called after the incident took place. Law officials as well as the father's family, did not contact the biological mother while the child was in the hospital, or even after he was released. The screening department at the hospital did not contact CPS informing them about the incident. The child’s Mother reached out to CPS, they were unaware of the stabbing. It had not been reported to them. CPS became involved once the child’s mother made a report to CPS about the incident. CPS referred to the stabbing as an ‘altercation’ and that the child was released to the paternal Uncle and Aunt. The child’s Mother never gave permission and was not in agreement for the child to be released to anyone and requested for the child to be in her care. 

CPS and the Judge ruled that the child is temporarily placed in sheltered care with the Paternal ‘Uncle and Aunt’ and would later be put in the care of his Paternal Grandmother. The stabbing took place at the Paternal Grandmothers home, where the father and the child lives as well. Frame & Frame Attorneys at Law states, “Maryland laws presume that parents have an inherent right to raise their child in accordance with their own wishes. This means that, in practice, a child’s parent may be able to deny grandparents access to their grandkids. Under Maryland state law, grandparents have no statutory rights to custody or to visitation.” By law, the child should have been released and placed in the care of his mother. Reginald Cooper’s rights were taken away due to the attempted murder of his son. The child should be rightfully given to the mother since she has legal joint custody. No one else has legal rights over the child other than his mother. 

The judge that over seen the previous custody case made the ruling to place the child back in the care of the Paternal Grandmother, in the same residence that the offender -and Paternal Grandmother reside. Despite the severity of the First Degree and Second Degree attempted murder charges as well as the Child Abuse in the First and Second degree severe physical, and Dangerous Weapon-INT/INJURE that was inflicted on this child. The judge still made this decision. No victim should not be placed in an endangered environment.

Please sign and share!

We request that you sign this petition so that: 

This child can be removed from this violent and dangerous environment. He needs to be placed in the care of his mother where she can provide a safe and loving home. This child or any other victim of child abuse should never be placed back in a home where the abuse and attempted murder occurred. 

The State of Maryland governor Larry Hogan can take proper action to ensure that a vulnerable child is placed in a safe environment.  https://governor.maryland.gov/contact-the-governor/

The government can be more proactive in fighting against the increased amount of child abuse. 

PLEASE DONATE TO THE GOFUNDME LINKED HERE: All donations made to this GoFundMe will be going towards lawyer fees to help the child's Mother fight this case.

Support@GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/11-yo-stabbed-by-father-bring-home-to-his-mother

https://patch.com/maryland/perryhall/amp/28747558/after-screwdriver-attack-dad-charged-murder-cops

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/white-marsh-man-charged-in-stabbing-of-11-year-old-son