Christopher Lawrence Cox Wiki - Christopher Lawrence Cox Bio
Christopher Lawrence Cox is a native of Florida, who accused of shooting two 14-year-old boys in Panama City Beach, killing one of them. The teens, who police said were stepbrothers from Louisville, Kentucky, were on vacation with their family.
Age
He is 37 years old.
Christopher Lawrence Cox Shot Teens
Police said the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. on March 23. The teens encountered Cox on the beach behind a resort called the Shores of Panama. According to the arrest affidavit Heavy obtained from the Bay County Clerk of Court, Cox confessed that he had “unloaded” his firearm at the boys.
Cox tried to run after the shooting but Panama City Beach officers quickly apprehended him. According to the affidavit available on the Bay County Clerk of Court website, Cox confessed to shooting the boys after he was read his Miranda rights.
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He claimed the teens had attempted to steal his backpack. He told officers he “pulled the bag away from the victim” and reached inside for the handgun, which he said he kept wrapped in a black shirt. Cox said he “chambered a round” and “unloaded” on the teens. Cox told the police he didn’t have a concealed weapons permit.
According to the affidavit, an officer asked Cox what would have happened had the teens stolen his bag. Cox responded he would have lost his gun and he hadn’t been willing to risk that. Cox also acknowledged in the police interview that he could have outrun the boys. He also described them as “retarded” and “developmentally challenged,” according to the affidavit.
Police said they are “still investigating the events of what occurred between the three prior to the shooting.”
Criminal Record
A search of online records shows Cox was arrested in 2017 for domestic violence in Louisville, Kentucky. He was initially charged with second-degree assault.
According to The Courier-Journal, Cox was convicted in 2018 of “fourth-degree assault as part of a domestic violence case.”
The newspaper reported that a judge ordered Cox to “serve two years of conditional discharge.” He was warned against committing future offenses during that time frame, with the punishment being up to 12 years in prison.
Investigation
According to the Panama City Beach Police, the two teenagers were on the beach around 1:30 a.m. when they encountered Cox. The surviving boy’s mother, who was not on the trip and whose name was not published, told WHAS-TV that her son and his stepbrother had been sitting on the beach listening to music on YouTube.
She said the boys were approached by a stranger, now identified as Cox, who asked them for a cigarette. “Of course they’re children so they said no,” she told the outlet. “Not really sure what set the man off but he asked them to get up and walk towards the water and that he was going to shoot them.”
The mother explained to WHAS-TV that her son was alive because of the heroic actions of the other boy. “He jumped in front of his brother and did everything he could to protect him and he saved his life,” she told WHAS-TV. She said the boys were best friends. “I can’t even imagine the love that they had for each other. I just want that to be known more than anything.”
Police said one of the teens was shot multiple times in the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene. The surviving boy was shot in the foot and arm, according to the affidavit. He was treated at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay in Panama City and was released.
