In the early morning hours of December 2, 2006, a violent encounter in a White Center home claimed the life of 46-year-old Steven Cox, a dedicated White / Caucasian King County Sheriff's Deputy. The male officer, a nine-year veteran of the force, was well-regarded in the community he served, known for his personal connection with local residents and merchants. A former prosecutor, Cox had chosen a path in law enforcement to make a tangible difference in his old neighborhood.
The evening's tragic events began to unfold around 1:42 a.m. when deputies responded to a 911 call about a shooting on 12th Avenue Southwest. A man had reportedly crashed his truck into a parked vehicle outside a house where a party was taking place. In response, individuals from the party had allegedly beaten and shot the driver of the truck, though his injuries were not life-threatening. As deputies arrived and began their investigation, they started separating and interviewing witnesses.
Deputy Cox took some of the individuals into a back bedroom of the house to conduct his interviews. It was during this process, with his own firearm still holstered, that he was fatally shot. Other deputies in the house heard the gunshots and as they moved toward the back room, the gunman emerged and opened fire on them. The deputies returned fire, killing the suspect. Inside the room, they found Deputy Cox mortally wounded with a gunshot to his head. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center but never regained consciousness and died later that morning.
The man who shot Deputy Cox was identified as 23-year-old Raymond O. Porter of Burien. Porter had a criminal record that included felony convictions and was a known gang member. After shooting Deputy Cox, Porter was killed by the other deputies at the scene, and therefore no arrests were made in connection with the deputy's murder. An investigation later revealed that Porter had been released from prison early due to a sentencing miscalculation by the Department of Corrections. The family of Deputy Cox later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state. Two men and two women were arrested in connection with the initial assault on the truck driver.
