Joseph C. Cole

How they died

Deadly force

An officer shot Joseph Cole after he allegedly fired a gun at him. Ferguson police spokesman Tim Allen said the officer, whose name police refused to release, was on patrol at about 2:30 a.m. when he saw Cole between two houses. Allen said the officer ordered Cole to approach his patrol car and identify himself. Cole reportedly approached the officer with his hands in his pockets, then pulled a gun and shot at the officer. Police said the shot deflected off the officer's bullet-proof vest. The autopsy did not show gun powder residue on Cole's hands. In 2014, Cole's mother attended the funeral of Michael Brown Jr., who was also killed by a Ferguson officer. "This is a rehash of what happened with my son, except this time it is getting the attention it deserves," she said.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Joseph C. Cole, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources