On May 12, 1981, Memphis Police Department Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox Jr., 53, was killed during an attempt to arrest a man identified as an escaped inmate. The encounter began when Cox stopped a suspicious person who was later named Laron Williams, an escapee from the Memphis Correctional Center serving time for a Nashville murder. A struggle followed; Williams gained control of Cox’s service weapon and fatally shot the lieutenant, ending Cox’s 22-year law enforcement career.

Williams fled the area and, according to the timeline, two days later killed Reverend John Jay Jackson during a burglary at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Jackson, Tennessee. Williams was captured in Jackson, tried and convicted for both killings and sentenced to death in each case. Williams was later killed by other inmates while on death row.

If anyone knew Lieutenant Cox, his patrol area, or saw something related to his May 12, 1981, killing, please share information that could help clarify the events.