High-profile mothers to attend local demonstration

Jun. 24—HIGH POINT — Why would the mothers of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery bother coming to High Point?

Because they have met Tenicka Shannon — the High Point woman whose Black teenage son, Fred Cox Jr., was shot to death by an undercover sheriff's deputy last November — and they feel her pain.

"I lost Ahmaud in February 2020," explained Wanda Cooper-Jones, whose 25-year-old son, also an African American, was pursued and fatally shot while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia. "We went 74 days before we got an arrest, so I know the feeling this mom has first hand, and she needs as much support as she can get. And if I can be that support for her, I will be that support."

Cooper-Jones and Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor — a 26-year-old Black woman who was shot to death in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment by a plainclothes police officer — are among those who will attend Saturday's "March on High Point," a downtown march and rally seeking justice for Cox's killing.

Cooper-Jones met Shannon last month at the annual Circle of Mothers gathering in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a retreat for mothers who have lost a child to gun violence. Shannon attended the retreat for the first time and met several other mothers whose children died in controversial, nationally publicized incidents, including the mothers of Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin.

Cooper-Jones, though, has stayed in touch and has been especially supportive, Shannon said.

"Any time I call her night or day, she always makes herself available," Shannon said. "She's always there for me."

Also expected to attend Saturday's march and rally are family members of:

—Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old biracial Black man who was fatally shot by a police officer in April during a traffic stop;

—Andrew Brown, a 42-year-old Black man who was shot to death in April by Elizabeth City police as they were serving warrants at the Brown residence; and

—Marcus Smith, a 38-year-old Black man who died after being hog-tied by Greensboro police during an incident in September 2018.

Ben Crump, the nationally recognized civil rights attorney who represents the Cox family, will also return to High Point for Saturday's event, as will the Rev. Greg Drumwright, a social justice activist who has supported the Cox family.

Cox, 18, was shot and killed last Nov. 8 by Davidson County Sheriff's Office Detective Michael Shane Hill following a memorial service at Living Water Baptist Church in High Point. Hill, who attended the funeral at the request of the family of the deceased, shot Cox four times in the chaos that ensued when gunfire from two passing vehicles rained down near the church.

For nearly seven months, Cox's family and supporters demanded that Hill be charged in the killing, but a grand jury determined earlier this month there was not sufficient evidence to charge him.

Shannon said she was angered and disappointed by the grand jury's decision but will continue to fight for justice for her son. The family plans to file a civil lawsuit and will continue to hold events such as Saturday's march.

"I will forever keep Fred's name alive, so that we don't have to go down this road as a city or as a country again," she said. "These police officers need to be held accountable."

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579