Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
In the late evening hours of December 23, Glendale Elementary Assistant Principal Janai Cooper (39) was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, Brian Coffee (44) both of Roseland. The incident occurred at their home in the 12500 block of Roseland Road. Deputies responded and found Cooper unresponsive. She was transported to the Sebastian River Medical Center where she later died. Coffee was interviewed that night by detectives and a traffic homicide investigator, who will spend the next few days determining the cause of the crash. Coffee told investigators that he was leaving the house to purchase cigarettes when he ran over Cooper. He said he did not realize she was outside or behind the vehicle.
Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar stated, “Our hearts go out to the family of Janai Cooper and every life she touched on a daily basis serving the children of our community.” Investigators will gather facts related to the crash and present their findings to the state attorney to determine if any charges will be brought. At this time, there are no arrests and no one in custody. Coffee has been cooperative with investigators throughout the investigation.
