Lawsuit over High Point man's shooting death settled for $4 million

Attorneys for the mother of a young man who was killed at a High Point funeral say their civil rights lawsuit has been settled.

Tenicka Shannon sued the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and the detective who fatally shot her son, 18-year-old Fred Cox.

Last week, the case was settled in Greensboro’s Middle District federal court for $4 million. The shooting occurred in November 2020, during a time of racial reckoning over police killings. Cox died after a drive-by shooting following a funeral in High Point. 

Davidson County Detective Michael Shane Hill was at the service as part of an investigation into a homicide in that jurisdiction.

Attorneys for the Cox family say Cox was a volunteer during the funeral and was helping usher people to safety when he was shot. The Guilford County District Attorney's Office says there was no evidence that Cox fired a weapon.

No criminal charges were filed against the detective.

Cox’s death led to protests and calls for justice. It also caught the attention of Ben Crump, a nationally known civil rights attorney, who was part of the legal team.