Vallejo man grabbed his killer’s rifle in last-ditch effort to avoid gunfire, police say

RICHMOND — The trial date has been set for a man who’d been off parole in a manslaughter case less than a year when he allegedly shot and killed a 26-year-old Richmond man.

Bobby Dee Dozier, 38, was held to answer on murder and gun charges after a March preliminary hearing. His trial has been set for Sept. 9, according to court records. Police say Dozier has addresses in Martinez, El Cerrito, and Pinole.

Dozier was identified as the man who shot and killed 26-year-old Emari Cook on the night of July 14, 2022, near South 49th Street and Cutting Boulevard in Richmond. Authorities say that Cook purchased pizza with his girlfriend at a Little Caesars on San Pablo Avenue and was walking home when Dozier pulled up behind them in a Cadillac.

Dozier allegedly got out holding a rifle and asked Cook, “Is that you?” Cook replied that his name was “Emak,” citing a stage name he used as a rapper, according to authorities. When Dozier approached, Cook grabbed the barrel of the rifle and attempted to wrestle it out of the ground, but Dozier broke free and fired as Cook attempted to run away, striking Cook in the chest and hand, according to police.

Just three weeks earlier, Dozier had been arrested on Interstate 80 after a single-car crash, when California Highway Patrol officers allegedly found a pistol with an extended magazine in his car. He was released from jail, but later charged with felony gun possession and had an active warrant for his arrest, court records show.

In September 2020, Dozier was released from a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter, robbery, and gun and drug possession charges, stemming from the 2007 killing of 42-year-old Oscar Alejandre, according to court records and media reports at the time. A year after his release, in September 2021, he was discharged from parole, authorities said.

Dozier was also arrested on suspicion of murder in 2005, but never charged. During the investigation into Cook’s killing, police tied a phone to Dozier that was registered under the name “Freddy Kruger,” according to court records.