Overview

• Stephen Cooper, 48, pleaded not guilty Thursday and was ordered held on $50,000 bail with conditions to surrender his firearms and carry license and to avoid contact with the victim.
• Police identified the victim as 32-year-old Mahomed Elorch of Melrose, who was shot in the leg after a road dispute escalated into a fight near the Banana Splitz ice cream shop in Cliftondale Square.
• Court and witness accounts describe a confrontation that turned physical with punching and biting before the shooting, and the suspect remained at the scene until police arrived.
• Cooper admits he fired the shot but claims self-defense, and his attorney says he was repeatedly punched and had stopped for ice cream to cool off before the encounter resumed.
• Authorities say Cooper was licensed to carry but now faces multiple charges, including assault and battery by discharging a firearm, with his license pending suspension and a return to court set for October 20.