Boyfriend shot officer trying to help abused woman, AZ officials say. He’s sentenced

A man is going to prison after being found guilty of shooting a cop who came to help his girlfriend, Arizona officials said.

In April 2022, 38-year-old Nicholas Cowan’s girlfriend said he had assaulted her and threatened to get into a shootout if she called law enforcement, according to a Feb. 28 news release by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

When she was able to get away from Cowan the following morning, the woman called 911 and met with two Phoenix police officers at a gas station, officials said.

As the three were talking, body camera footage showed Cowan drive into the parking lot before firing 11 rounds out of his passenger side window, striking one officer in the stomach, officials said.

The other officer, who wasn’t shot, shot back as Cowan drove away, officials said. His girlfriend was not harmed during the shooting.

After a three-day man hunt, Cowan was arrested in Scottsdale, officials said.

He was charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, drive-by shooting, and aggravated assault, prosecutors said.

He was sentenced to 68 years in prison, officials said.

“Make no mistake, this defendant had every intention of killing these officers when he opened fire,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the release. “My office stands behind our members of law enforcement and will vigorously prosecute anyone who means to do them harm. This incident could have ended in the death of an officer, and I’m thankful everyone survived.”

This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Boyfriend shot officer trying to help abused woman, AZ officials say. He’s sentenced."