A year after a deadly police shooting inside a Cottonwood home, the family of a local combat veteran has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit accusing the Cottonwood Police Department of mishandling what they say was a mental health crisis.
The complaint, filed Wednesday, centers on 58-year-old David Coomer, a veteran of three tours in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan who, his family says, lived with post-traumatic stress disorder. The suit alleges that emergency dispatchers initially reached out to a crisis responder but then canceled that help, and that officers spoke with Coomer through a closed bedroom door for several minutes before he came out armed and was shot, according to 12News.
What Police Body Cameras Showed That Night
According to body-worn camera footage released by the Cottonwood Police Department, the shooting happened on April 27, 2025, in the 1000 block of South Vista Grande Drive. The video shows officers responding to a domestic-disturbance call and an exchange of gunfire after the man emerges armed. The department handed the case to state authorities for an independent review, as reported by Journal AZ.
Family Says System Failed A Veteran In Crisis
The family’s attorney, Michael Moore, said officers fired roughly a dozen rounds at Coomer and argued that what happened inside that Cottonwood bedroom is part of a bigger problem facing veterans.
Moore contends police were the wrong tool for the job when Coomer was in crisis. "America is failing its veterans by allowing police to respond to mental-health crises involving veterans," he told 12News.
Cottonwood Police Defend Their Handling Of The Case
The Cottonwood Police Department has publicly pushed back on criticism, saying it has been transparent throughout the investigation. Officials note that both officers involved were wearing body-worn cameras and that the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Major Incident Division is running an independent investigation into the shooting. Those points were outlined in a department statement and reported by local outlets, according to USACRIME.
The Lawsuit And What Comes Next
The lawsuit accuses the department of failing to secure mental-health assistance and of other alleged missteps the family believes led directly to Coomer’s death. It seeks civil remedies while the criminal investigation and any potential charging decisions play out.
The filing has reignited local debate over how officers should respond to mental-health emergencies and whether rural Arizona needs more alternative response teams that do not center armed police. Coverage of the case, along with the body-camera footage, is expected to feature in both court proceedings and broader policy talks, as noted by Journal AZ.
