Nicholas Cowan pleads not guilty in shooting of Phoenix police officer in April
A man charged in connection with a shooting that critically injured a Phoenix police officer last month pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing last week.
Nicholas Cowan, 35, was charged with suspicion of possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, drive-by shooting, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of attempt to commit first-degree murder with premeditation. During an arraignment hearing held on May 10, he entered a not guilty plea for all charges.
Police arrested Cowan April 17, three days after he was suspected of shooting at officers at a gas station near Cave Creek and Beardsley roads and then fleeing. Officers had responded to the area after a woman called police concerned about her boyfriend committing "several criminal acts" and being suicidal.
The three-day manhunt for Cowan ended after a citizen tip led police to a rental property in Scottsdale where he was staying. He was taken to a hospital for injuries he received during the shooting, when police fired back, according to police.
A day after Cowan was released from the hospital and booked into jail, he was taken back to the hospital for monitoring.
Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams in said in an email the decision to return Cowan to a hospital was made during the booking process and before he was "officially turned over to MCSO custody." Williams provided no further details, including why officials thought Cowan needed additional monitoring at a hospital.
Three people were accused of helping Cowan while authorities searched for him. Nicole Montalbano, 33, faces charges on suspicion of hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence, according to court documents. The charges possibly faced by Caroline Coster, 35, and Michael Hankins, 41, are unclear.
On April 28, Phoenix police released edited body camera footage and audio clips from the 911 call that ultimately led to the shooting.
Officer Denise Bruce-Jones who was hospitalized after being shot multiple times was released from a rehab center Friday. In a video posted on Twitter, Phoenix police said Bruce-Jones was discharged from Honor Health Rehabilitation and would be “resting and recovering at home with her family.”
Cowan is scheduled for an initial pretrial conference on June 29.
Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Nicholas Cowan pleads not guilty in shooting of Phoenix police officer
