Jonah Darrell Cox
Agency patch
Patrolman

Jonah Darrell Cox

Louisville Police Department — Louisville, KY
Felonious
End of Watch February 23, 1974
Age 21
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 4 mo
The Vigil Panel 113 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Jonah Cox was shot and killed when he intervened in a disturbance outside of a night club while off duty. When he identified himself as a police officer one of the men fled on foot with Patrolman Cox in pursuit. The man pulled out a gun and shot Patrolman Cox as he caught him in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant at 3618 Bardstown Road. Both men were charged with murder but accepted plea bargains, after a mistrial, to lesser charges and were sentenced to jail. The killer got two years for voluntary manslaughter.

Survivors

Patrolman Cox served with the Louisville Police Department for less than two and a half years and was survived by his daughter.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-F3D1E618
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Cox gave the Louisville Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Louisville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Cox.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Louisville, Jefferson County, KY
Platform Identity lpd.jefferson.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 23, 1974
Tour of Duty 2 yrs 4 mo
Age 21
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Patrolman Jonah Darrell Cox is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 76.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Louisville Police Department, 51 of 91 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 56% of this agency's fallen.

Louisville Police Department
51
of 91 officers
56% Felonious
KY — Statewide
755
of 983 officers
76.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jonah Darrell Cox's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Jonah Darrell Cox Compares

Age at Death
21
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
2.3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jonah Darrell Cox is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Jonah Darrell Cox was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location