'You ready to die?' Ex-con on drugs breaks into woman’s Phoenix home after shooting her in the leg, cops say
Errick Jamell Cooks, 43 (inset), was arrested on Sept. 14, 2026, after allegedly shooting a woman, pistol-whipping her, and breaking into her home near 13th Street and Mission Lane in Phoenix. (FOX 10, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
PHOENIX - A California man is behind bars on a $1 million cash-only bond after allegedly launching a brutal, drug-fueled attack on an acquaintance in Phoenix, threatening to "rape and kill her" before shooting her and breaking into her home.
What we know:
Errick Jamell Cooks, 43, faces multiple felony charges including attempted first-degree murder, attempted sexual assault, armed robbery and burglary following the violent Monday morning incident near 12th Street and Mission Lane. Court documents reveal nearly the entire assault was captured on a chilling 911 recording as operators heard gunshots and listened to the victim plead for her life.
The backstory:
According to police records, Cooks – who met the victim four months earlier – arrived at her residence around 9 a.m. on Sept. 14. A doorstep chat quickly turned violent when Cooks allegedly began making explicit sexual threats, telling the woman he was going to "rape and kill her." Investigators say Cooks repeatedly punched the victim in the face, choked her and kicked her after knocking her to the ground. The victim managed to dial 911 around 10 a.m., leaving the line open as the struggle continued outside.
When she tried to flee into her home, Cooks reportedly retrieved a .22-caliber handgun from the trunk of his car and fired three times, shooting her in the leg. He then pistol-whipped her across the head while continuing his death threats, say dispatchers who heard the victim's screams through the phone.
The 911 call:
The victim managed to escape inside, lock the door and hide in a bedroom. Still on the line with dispatchers, the audio reportedly recorded Cooks screaming profanities, shouting, "You ready to die?" and using a concrete block to smash through a front window. Audio captured the suspect declaring, "This is how you do burglaries" as he prowled through the home searching for her, complaining that his gun was repeatedly stalling, police say.
The arrest:
Phoenix police officers arrived at the scene around 10:15 a.m. and spotted Cooks walking outside. When he allegedly refused to obey commands, officers fired rubber bullets and pepper balls to take him into custody. Police found the victim inside suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg along with severe facial injuries.
Dig deeper:
Officers recovered a .22-caliber pistol, shell casings and the victim's stolen gold necklace, which was found on Cooks' person alongside a baggie containing a mix of cocaine and methamphetamine, cops say. Cooks was evaluated at a hospital in the Sunnyslope area for a drug-related medical episode before being booked into Maricopa County jail.
Records show Cooks, who was already on probation for a 2024 drug conviction and served 16 years in California for attempted voluntary manslaughter, claimed he blacked out and remembered nothing of the attack.
What's next:
He is scheduled to appear in Maricopa County Superior Court on Sept. 22.
Map of where the shooting occurred:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Phoenix Police Department and Maricopa County Superior Court records.