ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Northern Illinois officials have decided to hold inquests the deaths of a Rockford police officer and a motorist.
Officer Jaimie Cox may have been struck and killed by a truck driven by Eddie Patterson, who was fatally shot. The Rockford Register Star reports Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz said an inquest for Cox is scheduled Wednesday while the inquest for Patterson is planned Friday.
Inquests may be convened when someone’s death was under suspicious, violent, or criminal circumstances. A jury decides the cause and manner of death.
Authorities say Patterson’s driver’s license was revoked and Cox may have pulled him over after noticing license plates on the pickup didn’t match the vehicle.
Cox was found near the truck and pronounced dead at a hospital. Patterson’s body was inside the truck.
