After more than four years, civil suit for Fred Cox Jr. ends with settlement

Featured photo: Tenicka Smith and her son Fred Cox Jr. (photo by Sayaka Matsuoka)

On Feb. 3, a yearslong battle in the courts came to an end. But for Tenicka Smith, the result was more bitter than sweet.

“I feel like I failed my child,” Smith shared with TCB this week.

Smith is the mother of Fred Cox Jr. who was shot and killed by an off-duty sheriff’s deputy in 2020. Cox, who was 18 years old, was running to shield others who were caught in a drive-by shooting outside of a church in High Point when Michael Shane Hill, who was attending a funeral there, fired off multiple shots. Cox died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Despite the fact that reporting by TCB, found that Hill had multiple disciplinary issues as an officer, including suspensions and demotions, he was never charged.

As is the case with many police killings, Smith decided to file a civil suit against Hill after the legal system failed to indict him. In August 2021, civil rights attorney Ben Crump took on Smith’s case, which came to an end earlier this month. After more than three years, the case was settled for $4 million, almost half of it going to attorney’s fees.

The remainder of the funds will be split up amongst Cox’s two surviving children and Smith herself.

When asked about the settlement amount, Smith said that she felt like “they were throwing pennies” at her.

She did not disclose how the funds would be used.

In the four years since her son was killed, Smith has been active in protesting against police violence. She’s become friendly with other family members of victims, including the family of Marcus Deon Smith, who was hogtied and killed by police in 2018. A civil suit in that case was also settled in 2022 for $2.57 million.

A report by TCB found that from 2018-2023, the city of Greensboro had spent more than $4 million to defend police officers who used force.

For Smith, the settlement doesn’t mean an end to the fight against police brutality.

“I have learned that if you are a police officer, it’s okay to take a life,” Smith said. “We have to stand together against police brutality. We all fit the description no matter what your race is. If they fear, they kill.”

As for how she wants her son to be remembered, she repeated a refrain from these past few years.

“Fred died a hero,” she said. “He will forever be remembered.”