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Exclusive: Hero Killed in Virginia Beach Mass Shooting Memorialized by Father

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “…Of all the many sermons this Pastor has preached in those years, on June 8 he preached perhaps his most demanding—the eulogy of his 50-year-old son, Ryan Keith Cox, killed by a colleague gone mad in a rampage on May 31 at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center where they both worked.”

Published

6 years ago

June 27, 2019

Oakland Post

Interview with Rev. Dr. E. Ray Cox

By Brenda H. Andrews, Publisher, New Journal and Guide

Ryan Keith Cox (Photo: Courtesy)

“Did you get two or three sermons today?” Mrs. Maxine Cox asked me at the front door as I was preparing to leave. I had just completed a 90-minute one-on-one interview with her husband of 53 and a half years and was meeting her for the first time.

“At least three,” I responded. We all laughed. She knew her husband well.

Above all else, Rev. Dr. E. Ray Cox is God’s man; a man who has been preaching God’s Word for more than half a century; a man who at age eight would awaken and walk the floor of his home at night, preaching, until his mother gently directed him back to his bed.

Of all the many sermons this Pastor has preached in those years, on June 8 he preached perhaps his most demanding—the eulogy of his 50-year-old son, Ryan Keith Cox, killed by a colleague gone mad in a rampage on May 31 at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center where they both worked.

Ryan Keith Cox, along with 10 other innocent persons, went to work that fateful Friday morning and never came home. An 11th person who was at the Center’s Building 2 workplace had come near the close of the work week to secure a permit. For a little more than 30 minutes, the facility was under the madness of gunfire. Twelve were killed by the assailant. The assailant was killed by police. It was the nation’s deadliest mass shooting for 2019 and the 10th mass shooting in the first five months of this year.

The carnage could have been higher. Four other persons were seriously injured and have since begun the road to full recovery.

Several of those who were not physically injured give credit to the heroic actions of their colleague Ryan Keith Cox, who secured a place of safety from the carnage for them, before returning to the war zone to save others. He didn’t make it back.

“I don’t know if you can put this in terms of what you would normally expect, but I’ve had no grief,” said Pastor Cox about delivering his son’s eulogy.

Cox said he considered calling upon a long-time minister friend to “shoulder this responsibility with me,” but he changed his mind.

“I am a pastor of 56 years. People grieve based on (the deceased person’s) relationship with God,” he explained. “How close and rich that relationship was with (God) is how they view (death) as a loss (or a gain).”

Cox said he knew Keith, as he was called, had transitioned into his reward of eternal rest because of the earthly relationship with God he had maintained.

“You will deliver your son’s eulogy,” Pastor Cox said God told him. “You will tell them ‘to God be the Glory’.”

That decision came as Pastor Cox came to grips with his own humanity in understanding the tragic loss of his son of 50 years. He talked about the private viewing of his son’s organless body split open from the neck down to his stomach as a result of the autopsy; the dried blood puddle at the base of his back; and the bullet hole in his neck which preceded his death. He wanted to see the condition of his son before he would allow the mortician to clean Keith and prepare him for public viewing.

After contacting the FBI, Pastor Cox said he learned that four bullets had entered the body of Keith Cox on May 31. Apparently, the final one which entered in the back of the neck had ripped open the throat and was the fatal one.

The first bullet pierced both hands in the same spot, leaving holes that matched hand to hand. Two more entered both sides of the upper back before the fatal bullet was shot that brought death within 10-15 seconds.

Viewing his son’s empty body became another test of the Pastor’s Christian faith.

“I felt anger rising up in me,” Cox said. “Anger like I’ve never felt. But all of a sudden, I heard the voice of God telling me, ‘I have given you the privilege to be angry, but you don’t have permission to sin’.”

He explained the Bible instructs people of God that to feel anger is not a sin, but hoarding anger and hatred are not only sins but are self-defeating.

“I listen to God,” Cox said. “I walk, I talk with God. I live the gospel…I teach and enrich others.

“Don’t be angry,” God said to this Pastor-Man. “Let it pass. This, too, will pass.”

Forgiveness

Pastor Cox said he was asked, ‘Can you forgive the man who killed your son’?

“…I’ve already done it,” he responded. “This man didn’t kill my son. He was an actor under the influence of the prince of the air — Satan himself.

“That evil in this man is what motivated him. Something in his life prompted him. He was under the influence of the spirit of evil that was probably motivated by the pain in his life.”

What Cox doesn’t understand, he said, is the common thread that typifies all mass shooters: “Why do they feel they can exercise (their) anger, frustration on people who have nothing to do with (their) pain?”

Nevertheless, he hopes that before the gunman died, he got “the record straight with himself and his God.”

Cox said he and his wife want to get with the gunman’s family, but their identity has not been disclosed.

“We know nothing about them. But I know they must be suffering. His parents must be totally whacked out. Nobody wants this.”

Peace

Throughout the interview, Pastor Cox stayed close to his Christian witness. He said that is what has brought him peace despite the horrific event that snuffed out the life of his youngest son and others, including the gunman.

“If you want to know peace, go find the Prince,” he explained.

“You cannot find peace if you’ve never met the Prince of Peace. If you’ve never established a relationship with Jesus.”

“I’m at peace—no grief—because years ago I met the Prince of Peace.”

He continued, “Peace is not to be found; peace is to be experienced. Peace is not lost; it is not hid away.”

Cox said he gains strength in knowing Keith Cox left the world in a better place than it was.

“I raised him and his older brother that way,” the Father-Pastor said.

Gun Control

I asked Pastor Cox, what can the church do to address the way of the world that is producing such broken people who commit mass crimes?

“This is not an ecclesiastical matter,” he said. “This is a legalistic matter.”

“Spirit-filled people have their place and their assignment—and their place is open for powerful input.”

“However,” he continued, “If this problem is to be solved, or at least have a real dent, it will have to be by law.”

Pastor Cox said though people who would do evil are not afraid of violating laws, and continue to misbehave despite laws in place, still, we live in a nation of laws.

He believes strongly, he said, in gun control laws. “We have everything we need. It’s our representatives who won’t act.”

He prophesied, “This will not be the last time.”

Coming Full Circle

“There is a depth of sorrow when the reproduction of yourself is shot down. Everything in your heart has been taken out.

“And yet, (do) you know how serious and important forgiveness is?” Pastor Cox asked me.

“Jesus said, ‘except you forgive, I will not forgive you’.”

He continued, “To live as Christ is to say, ‘it is well with my soul’.”

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

Published

4 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Published

5 days ago

May 23, 2025

Oakland Post

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.

As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.

Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.

We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.

The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.

We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.

Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

Oakland Post

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Hate and Chaos Rise in Trump’s America

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains.

Published

5 days ago

May 23, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 1,371 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating across the United States in 2024. In its latest Year in Hate & Extremism report, the SPLC reveals how these groups are embedding themselves in politics and policymaking while targeting marginalized communities through intimidation, disinformation, and violence. “Extremists at all levels of government are using cruelty, chaos, and constant attacks on communities and our democracy to make us feel powerless,” said SPLC President Margaret Huang. The report outlines how hard-right groups aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout 2024. Figures on the far right falsely framed DEI as a threat to white Americans, with some branding it a form of “white genocide.” After the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a former Utah legislator blamed the incident on DEI, posting “DEI = DIE.”

Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains. Similar threats hit Jewish institutions and Planet Fitness locations after far-right social media accounts attacked them for trans-inclusive policies. Telegram, which SPLC describes as a hub for hate groups, helped extremists cross-recruit between neo-Nazi, QAnon, and white nationalist spaces. The platform’s lax moderation allowed groups like the Terrorgram Collective—designated terrorists by the U.S. State Department—to thrive. Militia movements were also reorganized, with 50 groups documented in 2024. Many, calling themselves “minutemen,” trained in paramilitary tactics while lobbying local governments for official recognition. These groups shared personnel and ideology with white nationalist organizations.

The manosphere continued to radicalize boys and young men. The Fresh & Fit podcast, now listed as a hate group, promoted misogyny while mocking and attacking Black women. Manosphere influencers used social media algorithms to drive youth toward male-supremacy content. Turning Point USA played a key role in pushing white nationalist rhetoric into mainstream politics. Its leader Charlie Kirk claimed native-born Americans are being replaced by immigrants, while the group advised on Project 2025 and organized Trump campaign events. “We know that these groups build their power by threatening violence, capturing political parties and government, and infesting the mainstream discourse with conspiracy theories,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “By exposing the players, tactics, and code words of the hard right, we hope to dismantle their mythology and inspire people to fight back.”

Click here for the full report or visit http://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/year-hate-extremism-2024.