A Fort Worth father is calling for more mental health resources for teens after his son died by suicide last week.
Anthony Cooper, 16, was the second Timber Creek High School student to take their own life in three days. Another 18-year-old student died from a fatal gunshot wound on April 21.
“He’s my best friend in the world,” said Scottie Cooper. “I’m just going to miss him to death.”
Even through tears, Cooper lights up when he talks about his son Anthony. The 16-year-old played football at Timber Creek High School in the Keller ISD.
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The teen's father told NBC 5 that Anthony loved spending time with family, and a week ago they were planning their next vacation.
“We were just sitting here Monday night discussing what our plans were, you know,” Cooper said. “He was telling me about what he was wearing, and what he wanted to do.”
The next day, the father said he got a call from Anthony’s grandmother saying that the teen had unexpectedly taken her car.
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Then, Cooper got a message from his son.
“He texted me around 4:30, telling me he loved me, everything was going to be OK, and not to worry about him,” said Cooper. "And after that, he was gone.”
Anthony Cooper fatally shot himself on Tuesday evening.
The man told NBC 5 that his son had been outspoken about feeling depressed in the past, but he didn’t show any signs of struggling in the weeks before his death.
Cooper was the second Timber Creek student to die by suicide in late April. Two days before, on Sunday, an 18-year-old student died of a fatal gunshot wound.
Following these deaths, the Keller ISD school board opened their Thursday meeting with a moment of silence for the students. Some parents in attendance called for schools to do more to address student mental health.
“Please, just be supportive, listen to these kids, they need help,” one parent told the school board. “We’re in the middle of a crisis now.”
Scottie Cooper told NBC 5 that his son had been bullied at Timber Creek a year before his death, and when his family tried to seek help, they didn’t feel the problem was adequately addressed.
“There needs to be more done,” Scottie Cooper said. “Because it’s getting out of control, it’s getting out of hand.”
NBC 5 reached out to Keller ISD for a response to concerns about mental health resources for Timber Creek students.
“We communicated with Timber Creek High School families about two student deaths last week,” a spokesperson for Keller ISD responded in a statement. “In those communications, we shared about the additional counseling personnel that the district had deployed to the campus to provide expanded support for students and staff.”
“Our counseling departments are equipped to provide students and families with resources for counseling and mental health support, and they regularly work with families and staff to identify and allocate any additional support needed,” the statement continued.
As one parent grieved his loss, he told NBC 5 that he hoped his son’s story would help other teens before they made a decision they could never take back.
“What’s happening in the schools that’s causing kids to think there’s no other way out?” Scottie Cooper said.
Cooper’s family said they planned to hold funeral services for Anthony in Fort Worth this coming Saturday.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org -- callers will be connected with trained counselors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
