Woman who called 911 on Phoenix police shooting suspect says he is 'really against cops'
Woman who called 911 on Phoenix police shooting suspect says he is 'really against cops'
"Nick just pulled up and rolled down his window and shot, like I don’t know how many rounds, 16 or something like that," said a woman known to Phoenix shooting suspect Nicholas Cowan. She's the person who initially called the police on Cowan, and is speaking about the incident.
PHOENIX - Nearly two weeks after a Phoenix Police officer was shot and critically injured, the alleged gunman has been booked into jail, although he’s not behind bars yet.
Now, the woman who called the police on Nicholas Cowan, which led to the shootout, is speaking out.
She says she’s a victim of domestic violence and that’s why she called the police on Cowan. An officer and Cowan both suffered bullet wounds during the shootout, but Cowan then fled and was found more than 80 hours later after a manhunt led investigators to a rental property in Scottsdale on April 17.
As Cowan was being booked into jail on April 26 after being released from the hospital a day earlier, police say he needed to return to the hospital. That’s where he had his first court appearance.
Cowan’s initial victim who will not be identified doesn’t know if he was aiming to shoot her, the officers, or all of them.
"This never ever should’ve happened. I was trying to get him help, he was just suicidal and crazy. It was either watch him kill himself, or get him help," she said.
Cowan attacked her, she said, and threatened to kill himself days before the shooting.
"He told me, ‘I was hoping the cops would show up, so I could shoot it out with them,’" she recalled Cowan allegedly saying. That’s what ended up happening when she got out of the house and called the police from a nearby gas station.
"When he pulled up, I don’t know if he got mad that I was talking to the cops, or if that’s what he was trying to do. I don’t know. It's crazy, he’s crazy," she said. "Nick just pulled up and rolled down his window and shot, like I don’t know how many rounds, 16 or something like that."
An officer returned fire, and Cowan was shot. After he was captured, Cowan spent nearly a week in the hospital before he was transferred to jail in a wheelchair. While there, it was decided that Cowan need further medical treatment.
He attended his initial court appearance from the hospital and Cowan was denied bond. He faces five felony counts, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
"He was like really against cops," she said. "I don’t know why."
She ran into the convenience store during the shooting and was not hurt as one officer took cover and returned fire. The officer who was shot, officer Denise Bruce-Jones was released from the hospital on April 22 and continues to recover in a rehab facility.
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line).
Related Stories:
- Phoenix Police: Man accused of shooting officer returned to hospital for monitoring
- Manhunt ends as suspect in north Phoenix officer-involved shooting is found
- Chief Jeri Williams: Search for individuals who helped Cowan continues
- Tip about Cowan staying at Scottsdale rental home leads to his arrest