James R. Cofield

How they died

Deadly force

Deputies received a 911 call from a woman in rural Shabbona who said she was locked in an upstairs bedroom while at least two men rifled through her house. Two men later identified as Cofield and Thomas Bagely, 39, also of Rockford, fled the scene in a stolen other as officers arrived. Scott said the two rammed into a DeKalb County sheriff's squad car during the ensuing chase. The stolen car was stopped west of Malta after it went over stop sticks that punctured its passenger-side tires, according to Scott. Bagely surrendered to police after the car was stopped, but Cofield refused to step out, leading to about an hour and a half of negotiations with officers. Police said Cofield was armed with a rifle, and when he pointed the weapon at deputies, they shot and killed him.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that James R. Cofield, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources