Eddie Patterson, 49

Rockford, Illinois
November 05, 2017

Agencies: Rockford Police Department Illinois

Cause of death: Shooting

Follow This Case

---

Last updated: almost 6 years ago

Overview

A Rockford police officer was one of two people who died after a traffic stop led to a crash and apparent shooting early Sunday, authorities said.

Officer Jaimie Cox, 30, made a traffic stop near State Street and Dawn Avenue shortly after 1 a.m., Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said at a news conference Sunday morning. 

Cox "made a brief radio transmission indicating he needed assistance," according to O’Shea. Officers responding to the scene found Cox, who was critically injured, near a single-vehicle crash approximately two blocks north of the initial traffic stop, O’Shea said.

They began administering first aid and Cox was rushed to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, O’Shea said, where he later died. 

Another person was found dead inside the vehicle, according to police. He was later identified as 49-year-old Eddie Patterson, who was believed to be from Rockford, O'Shea said Sunday afternoon. 

The Winnebago County Coroner’s office could not immediately confirm the fatalities, and further details were not available. Causes of death were not yet determined, according to O'Shea, and autopsies were pending with the coroner's office. 

Circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear. 

"Preliminary results of the investigation indicate that Officer Cox was involved in a scuffle during the traffic stop that resulted in the officer becoming entangled in the suspect’s vehicle," O'Shea said Sunday afternoon. "It’s believed that Officer Cox fired his weapon during this incident." 

Legal Action

According to investigators with the Winnebago-Boone County Integrity Task Force, Officer Jaimie Cox was justified in his use of deadly force during the traffic stop.