On the night of October 20, 2020, a domestic disturbance call to Phoenix police ended with two brothers dead. Officers responded to a home near 22nd Street and Indian School Road after Lillian Cocreham called 911 saying she had barricaded herself and feared her elder son, 44-year-old Emmett Cocreham, would harm her. The caller said her sons, Emmett and George, had a history of prior altercations.

Officers positioned in the backyard reported seeing George holding a rifle and ordered him to drop the weapon. Both brothers went back inside; Emmett, unarmed, re-emerged and stood on the back porch. The brothers’ interactions escalated when George opened the back door and allegedly pointed the rifle toward Emmett and the officers. Two officers fired, striking both men. Emmett was pronounced dead at the scene; George was taken to a hospital and later died. A rifle and a BB gun were recovered. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and no criminal charges against the two officers were filed. Lillian Cocreham later sued the city, and the city agreed to a $1 million settlement without an admission of fault.

If anyone knew Emmett, George, or their household and has information about what happened that night, please share it with the discussion.