More than two years after a shooting at a Reno apartment complex left seven people wounded, the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file charges in the case for now, citing insufficient reliable and admissible evidence.
In a five-page “No-Issue Memorandum” dated Feb. 27, District Attorney Christopher Hicks outlined the reasons prosecutors determined they could not move forward against CheMarion Cooks in connection with the Oct. 6, 2023, shooting at the Zephyr Pointe Apartments.
According to the memo, gunfire erupted at approximately 10:54 p.m. outside an apartment at the complex, injuring seven people, but none of the victims could identify the shooters. Surveillance footage captured two unidentified men, both described as slender and wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks, approaching a group gathered outside before opening fire and fleeing in a vehicle.
A responding officer attempted to stop the vehicle but lost it as it sped away.
Investigators later linked the vehicle to an address on Nutmeg Place in Reno, where several individuals associated with the case had ties.
The Reno Police Department Robbery Homicide Unit, along with the Regional Gang Unit, led the investigation. They interviewed multiple individuals over time, including Cooks and Frank Hewitt.
A jury convicted Hewitt in a separate case involving attempted murder charges. However, investigators faced challenges tying additional suspects to the Zephyr Pointe shooting.
Cell phone location data became a central focus of the case, with only one phone number placed near the scene at the time of the shooting. The phone number was Hewitt’s.
Investigators later discovered the phone belonged to another person, and authorities were unable to determine why Hewitt was using it. In November 2024, a confidential informant recorded a conversation with Hewitt in which he reportedly implicated both himself and Cooks in the shooting.
Prosecutors described the recording as significant but legally problematic. The District Attorney’s Office concluded that Hewitt’s recorded statements would be inadmissible hearsay if used against Cooks at trial.
Because Hewitt retains constitutional protections against self-incrimination, prosecutors determined there is no reliable way to compel him to testify. Without in-court testimony, the recorded statements alone would not meet evidentiary standards.
The memo also cited unresolved questions surrounding phone data and limited direct evidence placing Cooks at the scene. The document also details tension between the DA’s office and law enforcement investigators regarding whether to proceed with an arrest.
The case remains closed for now.
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