Shot GVSU student videos shed insight

ALLENDALE, Mich. (WOOD) - It was a drug investigation that led to the Grand Valley State University student's shooting in his off-campus apartment by an Ottawa County sheriff's deputy, state police said.

There were campus protests Friday over the Tuesday night shooting that left Copp, 20, in serious condition at Spectrum Health Butterworth. He was not armed, and police said there was no confrontation that led to the shooting. He has not been arrested.

On Derek Copp's YouTube videos, drugs play major roles in his performances.

Copp posted a pair of YouTube videos, one called Hippy Lunchtime Hour. "Today, I'm going to show you how to make a sandwich, in case you might have the munchies," a laid-back Copp says while wearing an apron and sitting cross-legged on a couch.

At one point, in his bloopers, he puts his fingers to his mouth, as if to smoke, and talks about his need for a break. He suggested viewers stay tuned for his next segment: "Oregano brownies."

Another video portrays him buying speed. "Want some acid?" says a man playing a dealer. Copp then pops something into his mouth and goes on a psychedelic trip.

State police continue to investigate the shooting, which they say is going slowly. "There is a process that has to be followed," said Capt. Gary Gorski, head of the state police Sixth District headquarters. "The process is not necessarily a quick process."

When asked if the Ottawa County deputy who fired the shot was talking with investigators, he said: "Not necessarily. They have rights like anybody else does."

Friends and neighbors described Copp as a laid-back student. His MySpace.com page says he is originally from Spring Arbor and went to Jackson Community College from 2006 to 2007. His major at GVSU is fiction filmaking.

His Facebook page lists one of interests as "SMOKA DA BOLSKI". He says he's volunteered at music festivals. He plays the guitar. He also lists some of his favorite quotations: "Give peace a chance," and "Life isn't a bowl of cherries or peaches, it's more like a jar of Jalapenos -- what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow."

Copp, who moved into the Campus View Apartments in August, suffered a single gunshot to the upper right chest -- fired from a 9 mm Glock.

The deputy, a 12-year veteran, was among five officers from the West Michigan Enforcement Team conducting a drug raid of the lower-level apartment on 42nd Avenue, said WEMET commanding officer Lt. Cameron Henke.

They were entering about 9 p.m. Wednesday through the rear sliding door when the deputy, whose name was not released, fired one shot, police said. That deputy, a 12-year veteran, is on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.

Police would not say what kinds of drugs they were looking for or whether they found any evidence of narcotics in the apartment.

They said they don't know whether the deputy felt threatened by Copp, who lived in the apartment.

Students who live next door -- Joe Putra, 21, of Jackson, and JoJo Scott, 19, of Jackson -- said the raided apartment was often crowded, had people coming in and out, and often smelled of marijuana. They weren't surprised the apartment was raided, but questioned the use of force.