Man suspected of shooting Phoenix police officer taken back to hospital for monitoring
Phoenix police on Tuesday said a man suspected of shooting one of its officers nearly two weeks ago was taken back to a hospital for monitoring before he could be booked into a Maricopa County jail.
The update came several hours after the Police Department confirmed 35-year-old Nicholas Cowan was released from a hospital and booked into jail on Monday evening. Phoenix police at the time also said Cowan was booked on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, among other charges.
Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams in an email on Tuesday said 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 monitoring at a hospital.
Cowan is suspected of shooting a Phoenix police officer on April 14 and then leading authorities on a 3-day manhunt that ended with his arrest in Scottsdale on Easter morning. Officials at the time said Cowan had several gunshot wounds from the shooting and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Details about the shooting
The incident on April 14 began when a woman called police from a Marathon gas station near Cave Creek and Beardsley roads to report her boyfriend, Cowan, for committing "several criminal acts" and attempting suicide, Phoenix police said she told them.
It's unclear what criminal acts Cowan was suspected of committing, but Phoenix police initially said they responded to a domestic violence call at the gas station.
The woman also told police she went to the gas station "to avoid a confrontation with her boyfriend" because he had threatened to "shoot it out" with police, according to officials.
As the woman spoke with police, Cowan arrived at the gas station in a 2012 light blue Toyota Prius. He then shot an officer who began to approach him and continued to fire gunshots in the area before fleeing, officials said.
Another officer at one point returned fire; however, it's unclear how many times they fired their weapon. No other bystanders or officers were injured in the shooting.
Cowan taken into custody in Scottsdale
A tip led authorities to Cowan's location in Scottsdale and, after an hourslong standoff, he was arrested "without significant use of force." But, Cowan was ultimately taken to a hospital for treatment for his gunshot injuries.
Phoenix police also arrested 33-year-old Nicole Montalbano after they said she helped Cowan avoid arrest. She was described in court records as a "girlfriend in the Prescott area."
Police said they believed several people helped Cowan; however, no information has been released about them.
The injured officer underwent surgery and has since been moved to a rehabilitation facility. She was only identified by officials as a 24-year veteran at the department whose spouse is also a Phoenix police officer.
Reach the reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Nicholas Cowan, suspected of shooting officer, taken back to hospital
