Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Jacob T. Cox
Age : 27
Gender : Male
Race : White
Date : 08/30/2021
Location : Paducah
City : Paducah
County : McCracken
State : Kentucky
Agency : Paducah Police Department
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Suicide
Event : Suicide under police duress
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/30/2021, Jacob T. Cox, 27, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a traffic stop by Paducah Police Department officers in Paducah. The encounter began after police received a report shortly after 5:00 p.m. that a truck had been stolen from the parking lot of a Park Avenue business.
An off-duty Paducah police officer spotted the stolen truck a short time later. Other officers responded and attempted to stop it. Police reported that the truck slowed and continued rolling forward before eventually coming to rest against a curb.
When officers approached the stopped truck, they found that Cox had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. McCracken County Coroner Amanda Melton pronounced him dead at the scene. Police did not fire the fatal shot.
Detectives determined that the owner of the stolen truck kept a handgun inside the vehicle and believed that was the firearm Cox used to kill himself. Cox's death occurred while police were actively stopping and approaching the vehicle and is classified as suicide under police duress.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The individual Paducah Police Department officers involved in the traffic stop were not publicly identified in the available reporting.
