SAN JOSE, Calif.—A Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said that prosecutors in the county decided not to press charges against a former defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers who was taken into custody there after what they described as an attempted robbery that resulted in a shooting. Gregory Mark Cox, 59, of Vallejo, was detained on charges of attempted second-degree robbery and conspiracy, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. During the 1988 and 1990–91 seasons, Cox participated in 39 games for the 49ers. He performed at San Jose State as well.
Capt. Quincy Cromer, a spokesman for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, stated that Cox was released from custody on Thursday.
According to the sheriff’s office, authorities also detained a 42-year-old Ukiah woman on suspicion of attempted murder, attempted second-degree robbery, using a pistol while committing a crime, and conspiracy.
Mendocino County sheriff’s officers were called to a report of a male who had been shot in the hand at a place in the 51400 block of N. Highway 101 in Leggett at approximately 11 p.m. on May 10, according to the authorities.
When the 56-year-old Leggett man and his girlfriend got home, Cox and the lady were there, according to the sheriff’s office.
Following a dispute, according to the sheriff’s office, the woman pulled out a revolver and pointed it at the resident of Leggett. According to the sheriff’s office, the man tried to grab the gun away from her in response, and that’s when it went off. It struck the man in the hand.
According to the sheriff’s office, more evidence discovered when detectives secured a search warrant for that home and the getaway pickup truck indicated the lady meant to shoot the Leggett resident.
Following the incident, the sheriff’s office said that the woman and Cox drove away from the site in a pickup vehicle.
After receiving medical attention from on-site medics, the man gave them a ride home in a truck that had been close to the property. A deputy in Willits responding to an unrelated case saw the truck after deputies requested that law enforcement keep an eye out for it.
The truck accelerated and entered a residential neighborhood while the deputy pursued it, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office stated that the officer discovered the truck in the residential area, asked for assistance, and continued to watch it.
The deputy also mentioned that he saw a lady who fit the suspect’s description move back and forth between the truck and a house.
The woman attempted to scale a fence to get away when she noticed more law enforcement approaching, but she was apprehended on the other side, according to the sheriff’s office.
Following the deployment of deputies, Cox turned himself up, according to the sheriff’s office.