Fredrick Cox Jr., an 18-year-old Black man, was killed on November 8, 2020, at a funeral service at Living Water Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina. Shots came from a drive-by shooting; Cox moved to usher attendees to safety and was struck by gunfire. A plainclothes Davidson County deputy who was at the funeral as part of an investigation into another murder fired his weapon and fatally wounded Cox.

The deputy said he saw Cox holding a handgun and fired; several witnesses disputed that account, saying Cox was unarmed and was shot multiple times in the back. The Guilford County District Attorney declined to file criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence. Cox’s family, represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, filed a civil lawsuit against the deputy and the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, and the case prompted protests and community demands for accountability.

A judge approved a $4 million settlement in the family’s civil suit in January 2025; the family continued to seek accountability and to highlight concerns about police violence and racial disparities in policing. Does anyone have additional firsthand information about what happened that day or about the investigation?