Posted: 12/4/2006 8:21:56 PM EDT
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Man who shot deputy sheriff linked to murder hours before Reports: Shooter was convicted felon with gang ties 05:40 PM PST on Monday, December 4, 2006 Associated Press and KING Staff Reports SEATTLE — The man who shot and killed a King County deputy sheriff last Saturday has been implicated in the murder of a man just four hours earlier, said a King County Sheriff's spokesman. Ballistic reports showed shell casing found at the scene of that homicide came from the same gun that killed Deputy Steve Cox, according to Sgt. John Urquhart. Deputy Steven Cox was fatally shot in the head early Saturday while interviewing partygoers at a residence in White Center, a neighborhood south of West Seattle - the third Seattle-area officer to die in the line of duty since August. Urquhart and the King County Medical Examiner's Office would not confirm the identity of the shooter, but law enforcement sources told The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he was Raymond O. Porter, 23, of Burien. An autopsy was pending. According to the papers, Porter was a convicted felon and longtime gang member. Shortly before 10 p.m. Friday, a deputy found the body of a man, nude and shot at least one in the head, in the middle of a street in SeaTac. Detectives were still at the scene of the investigation when Deputy Cox was shot at about 2:45 a.m. in White Center. Police describe the victim of the first homicide as a 23-year-old Seattle man who was a convicted felon with reported gang ties. The Medical Examiner's Office will release the victim's identity. Urquhart said Cox likely would have been aware of the body found in SeaTac while in White Center, though he was not involved in that investigation. KCSO Raymond Porter had a criminal history dating to 1997 and had been sentenced to jail or prison nine times. The Times and Post-Intelligencer reported that Raymond Porter's criminal history dated from 1997, including convictions for drug manufacturing, assault, escape and being a felon in possession of a gun. He had been sentenced to jail or prison nine times and was most recently released from prison in August. At the time of his death Porter was being supervised by the state Department of Corrections. He was a member of the Black Gangster Disciples, which has long been active in Seattle, and had a tattoo of the gang's sign on his forearm, Gabriel Morales, a gang specialist and law enforcement consultant, told the P-I. Feuding between that group and other gangs has been cited as a factor in an increase in shootings in the south and central areas of Seattle. Some Black Gangster members spend time outside the city limits in White Center because "they think it's a safe haven from SPD," Seattle police Detective Robert T. Sevaaetasi said. Sheriff's deputies planned to hold a round-the-clock vigil at the White Center Sheriff & Community Service Center until a funeral service is held for Cox. Friends, community activists and officers brought flowers and notes Sunday to a makeshift memorial at the community center. Cox, 46, was a nine-year veteran of the department that he joined after leaving a career as a prosecutor. Frustrated with the legal system, he joined the sheriff's department and later began patrolling White Center, a high-crime neighborhood near where he grew up. King County Sheriff Deputy Steven Cox Business owners and residents said he helped make the streets safer and improving the neighborhood. Cox did more than anyone to rid the area of drug dealing and prostitution, said Cheryl Moss, a bartender. "He was our Superman. And now our Superman's dead," she said. Cox was deeply involved in community issues and eventually was elected president of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council. "He was just a helluva guy... He was so well respected over there in the White Center community it's just hard to believe," said his father, Ron Cox. "I'm so angry with the guy who killed him. It was so unnecessary." Cox and other deputies were called to a house party around 1:42 a.m. Saturday following reports of gunshots. He was interviewing partygoers one by one in a bedroom when a man drew a gun. Cox was shot twice in the head. Other deputies ran toward the room, and the man began shooting at them. They returned fire and Porter was killed. Cox died later at Harborview Medical Center. Cox grew up in the Shorewood neighborhood southwest of White Center. He played basketball at Evergreen High School in Burien, then earned a bachelor's degree from Central Washington University and a law degree from Willamette University in Salem, Ore. In 1991, Cox began working as a deputy prosecutor in Franklin County. By the mid-1990s he was handling high-profile murder and gang cases in Pasco, but Prosecutor Steve M. Lowe said Cox talked to him on several occasions about his dissatisfaction with the justice system. "It's not a perfect system, and sometimes we lose cases because of technicalities. That really, really bothered him," Lowe told The Times. "He made it clear that his goal in life was to go back and be a patrol officer. "He was frustrated with what is frankly an imperfect system, and he wanted to always help people and make the community safer. He felt he could do that better back in law enforcement." He briefly served as a prosecutor in King County before joining the sheriff's office nine years ago. Cox married Maria, whom he met at a gym, and the couple adopted a baby boy from Guatemala earlier this year. The child, Bronson, turned 1 in October, and Cox and his wife planned to adopt a second child next year. Three years ago Cox was assigned to White Center. He often told friends and colleagues he wanted to serve there because he felt he'd make a difference in the area. "He wanted to be on the front lines fighting crime," his brother Ron said. "He was an athlete, a fierce competitor and everything he did, he gave 110 percent." Last year, Cox was given a Community Builder Award from the Seattle Neighborhood Group. Cox also spoke in schools, helped organize community festivals and maintained several rental properties in the area. "You'd see him driving around in his beat-up pickup truck with his dog and plywood hanging out the back," childhood friend Tony Benavides told The Times. "Everyone here knows Steve. I can't even believe it that he's gone. It's surreal."  This is the third officer killed in WA since August. One of my buddies knew the Deputy and is pretty shook up. It's always sad to read about fallen officers. I guess the three strike law that was voted in in the mid-90's in WA didn't work this time. |
Yah I know how you feel. The guy I know was his FTO when he got hire by the KCSO. He's pretty busted up about it. But doing fine. It's always sad when an officer falls in the line of duty.
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