Yahoo Sports Pretrial hearing set in Cox lawsuit
Mar. 8—HIGH POINT — The 2020 shooting death of High Point teenager Fred Cox Jr. appears headed for a federal courtroom later this year.
According to court documents filed last week, a pretrial hearing has been set for Dec. 4 in the case of a civil lawsuit filed against Deputy Michael Shane Hill — who fatally shot Cox at a funeral 2 1/2 years ago — and the Davidson County Sheriff's Office. The hearing will be held at the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building in Greensboro.
The wrongful death suit was filed in August 2021 on behalf of Cox's mother, Tenicka Shannon. The two sides met last year with a mediator, who filed a report in November saying the sides were at an impasse.
Cox, 18, was shot to death on Nov. 8, 2020, following a memorial service he attended at Living Water Baptist Church in High Point. Witnesses say gunfire from two passing vehicles caused mourners to scatter and seek shelter.
As Cox was helping a youth and his mother get into the church safely, witnesses say, he was shot by the plainclothes deputy, who was on duty at the funeral as part of another homicide investigation.
An autopsy later showed Cox had been shot four times, with at least two of those shots fired from behind.
The racially charged case simmered for nearly seven months before Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump announced a grand jury had determined there was "insufficient evidence to support criminal charges" against Hill.
Shannon, who is represented by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, vowed that day to continue seeking justice for her son, including filing a civil lawsuit.
"You saw the opportunity to shoot a Black person, and you took it!" she shouted through tears at an emotional news conference on June 2, 2021.
"And you took my soul! You took my heart, and I will never forgive you! My sadness has turned to anger ... and I'm ready to fight! I'm ready to fight for justice for my baby!"
Now, unless a settlement is reached, it appears the fight will take place in a courtroom.
jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579
