As the country reels from the horrifying shooting in Sutherland Springs and searches for answers as to why anyone would commit such a brutal mass murder, this former Texas cop proves he is above the law.
Last week, Cox was given a sweet plea deal by prosecutors. In exchange for him pleading guilty to the charge of deadly conduct, he was sentenced to five years in prison-all of which was suspended. He was simply put on community supervision and given probation.
For shooting up a church, he was also fined $1,500 and will have to report to the jail on weekends for ten days.
The incident began on July 13 when officers responded to a 9-1-1 call about a maniac shooting up a church. When police arrived they found Cox drunk in the parking lot, who immediately admitted to the crime.
Cox is seen on an officer's body cam saying he fired the shots "cause my boys are getting killed in Dallas" and said, "the black coon started killing my boys."
Cox attempted to justify his actions by claiming he needed to relieve some stress. His stress relief was to go into a residential neighborhood and endanger the lives of everyone near him by firing off guns in a church parking lot.
According to FOX 4, Cox was charged with deadly conduct and taken to the Ellis County Jail. But on the same day he was arrested, the pastor signed an affidavit of non-prosecution. The pastor said he didn't want charges filed because it's all about forgiveness.
Comment: Would he still be saying the same if someone had been injured?
Not only was he not charged, he was also not photographed for his mugshot. This special treatment had the Ellis County District Attorney furious.
Even though the pastor didn't file charges, Cox was still guilty of multiple crimes. However, because Cox wears a badge, the department used their discretion and he was released.
"This, in my mind is a tremendous abuse of that discretion," Patrick Wilson, the Ellis County District Attorney said. "In today's climate, it's inexcusable. I cannot understand how these facts escape the narrative of favoritism."
"With criticism that is being launched at law enforcement in our community today, the foundation of that criticism is what's illustrated in this case. And that is favoritism," said Wilson. "Some people in the criminal justice system get treated differently. How can I dispell that narrative when these facts completely support that?"
What Wilson is referring to is a common practice among those in power. In the United States, there are two forms of justice; one for those who are in power and one for everyone else.
For several months, Cox thought he'd gotten away with it. However, only because of the DA-who refused to allow him to escape accountability for his crimes-pursued the case, he was finally indicted last August.
Had a person who did not wear a badge been caught shooting up a church, he would undoubtedly be sitting in jail right now and could have even been killed.
As police apologists across the country fumble to make bogus excuses about why people are angry with law enforcement, this case provides a glaring example - police officers are almost never held accountable.
Cops in America can kill innocent people while on duty and not face a single charge and keep their jobs. Even when they are off-duty and commit crimes that endanger the lives of innocent people, as this case illustrates, they are still not held accountable.
Until this double standard of blue privilege is eliminated, the divide will continue to grow.
Comment: While in this incident no one was seriously injured, the double standards that police are held to are glaring. If there is any hope to bring back policing to serving the public instead of itself, it starts with holding them accountable. But don't hold your breath. As it stands, they are above the law and there's no sign of that changing anytime soon. Here's just a few examples (out of many):
Cop shoots fleeing suspect in the back 9 times and stomps his head; receives Medal of Valor for the murder
Cop keeps his job after mistaking a camera for a gun and shooting an innocent reporter
Violent cop who repeatedly punched surrendering man in the face found not guilty