Fred Cox rally draws dozens, family members of Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake to downtown GSO

On late Friday afternoon, just as the clouds began to recede and warmth from the sun’s rays beamed down from the sky, Tenicka Shannon greeted the numerous people who had come to pay their respects to her and her family. Since November 2020, Shannon and others have been fighting for justice since her son, Fred Cox Jr., was shot and killed by a Davidson County sheriff’s deputy while attending a memorial service at a church.

Despite the Guilford County attorney’s office’s findings that Cox died from a gunshot wound inflicted by Marcus Shane Hill with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department, a grand jury failed to indict Hill in June 2021.

An investigation by TCB also found that Hill falls into a category of law enforcement officers known as “wandering cops,” who move from agency to agency after they are either fired or they resign from their positions due to disciplinary actions.

According to the data collected by TCB, Hill has been suspended as a law enforcement officer twice and demoted once. His most recent suspension took place for more than a month, from Nov. 8-Dec. 15, after he shot and killed Cox.

Hill continues to be employed by the Davidson County Sheriff’s office as of late last year.

In August, Shannon filed a civil lawsuit against the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Hill and others on behalf of Cox’s family. The lawsuit is still in progress and is currently in the discovery phase.

On Friday, Shannon and others associated with her family gathered at Center City Park in downtown Greensboro as they awaited the arrival of a few extra speakers. Among them was Rev. Greg Drumwright of Alamance County, who has spoken out publicly about the Cox case; as well as Bianca Alston, Breonna Taylor’s aunt; and Jacob Blake Sr.

Taylor, who was shot and killed in her home after a no-knock warrant in March 2020 has become a household name, much like George Floyd, whose death sparked an international movement two years ago. Jacob Blake was similarly killed by police in August 2020 in Kenosha, WA.

As activists and the family waited for Alston and Blake Sr. to arrive, they called on passing cars and the community at large to call for justice to be served in Fred Cox’s case. Signs demanding that Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump bring charges to Hill lined the outskirts of the park while others held posters that read, “Fred should not be dead,” a chant that has become a rallying cry for activists familiar with the case. After an hour or so, the group marched through downtown to the Guilford County Courthouse where they made their demands.

“We are demanding accountability and for Avery Crump to open his case back up,” Shannon said. “Avery Crump needs to do her job.”

However, in a past statement to TCB, Crump made no inclination that she would reopen the case.

“What needs to be understood is that even if a decision was made to charge first, the case still would have had to go to the grand jury for them to decide if there is probable cause to proceed to trial,” she stated. “The grand jury found insufficient probable cause to charge the officer in this case. If a charge had been taken, then it would have been dismissed when the grand jury failed to indict.”

In a follow-up statement, a spokesperson for the DA’s Office stated that, “all evidence was presented to the grand jury by the SBI. There has been no new evidence. And District Attorney Crump has no further comments regarding this case.”

Still, activists and the family say they’re not giving up.

“Let me tell you something about Tenicka Shannon,” said Drumwright. “Don’t let her tears, don’t let her grief, don’t let her sorrow fool you. She’s not going to stop until we get justice. She’s not going to stop until we get answers. She is not going to stop until this cop is brought up on these charges that he’s deserving of.”

Read additional reporting about the Fred Cox Jr. case here. Watch video footage of the event here.