FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – The family of one of the young men killed in a 2021 triple shooting is still seeking answers. The trial for the man accused of the shooting was supposed to happen Tuesday but it was delayed for another competency hearing.
19-year-old Josh Cooper, Anderson Retic and Jaylin Rice were both shot at a Shell gas station in February. Cooper and Retic did not survive.
Cooper’s uncle, O’Mandre Hall, says their family has been waiting for justice for far too long.
“Josh had his whole life ahead of him, we was a big dreamer,” Hall said. “You feel like you’re on pins and needles because you’re pulled in so many different directions. We just want to start the healing process, but it cant start without getting justice for all three.”
Their wait will continue too, because it’s not clear if the man accused of the shooting is fit to stand trial. In February last year, prosecutors charged 32-year-old Joseph Bossard with two counts of murder. The shooting happened at a gas station on East State Boulevard. Bossard is accused of opening fire on the three young men at a gas pump. The boys sped away, but prosecutors say Bossard followed them and continued shooting.
Bossard was cleared for a trial last year after two competency hearings and was set to appear in court Tuesday, August 16th. According to one of his defense attorneys, Bossard had a change in medication at the jail and they filed for a re-evaluation of his mental state ahead of the trial. If he’s cleared, the new trial will begin early November.
“It doesn’t feel real. It’s like, is this a dream? But it’s not. It’s a reality we go through everyday,” Hall said. “It’s frustrating and hurtful for my family, but we want it done the right way. If that means going through another competency hearing to make sure he is competent enough to stand trial to seek justice for our family, that’s what we’ll do.”
Hall says it’s agonizing to have to wait even longer, but they want justice done right.
“Keep praying for us with good intentions and keep supporting us and hopefully we’ll get justice for all three young men,” he said.
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