A video surfaced online showing a Dallas paramedic kicking and stomping a homeless man in August 2019. The moment was captured on a sheriff deputy’s body cam and showed paramedic Brad Cox kicking the man in the head.
WFAA found previously recorded instances of Cox having issues, including harassing another homeless man in need of medical assistance. Cox was placed on administrative leave after the most recent incident.
The situation arose when Cox was responding to a grassfire along with the Dallas Fire-Rescue crew. The bodycam footage caught Cox accusing a homeless man named Kyle Vess of starting the grassfire.
According to Cox, at this time, the homeless man attempted to “charge” him, and when deputies apprehended Vess, Cox kicked the man. Vess had to be sent to Parkland Hospital following his injuries.
Both Vess’s family and defense attorney George Milner are calling for charges to be filed against the paramedic. Dallas Police had previously cleared Cox of any charges, stating insufficient evidence as a factor.
Milner told NBC DFW about Cox, saying, “Let’s assume for the sake of argument, that he had a right to defend himself. Once he no longer needed to defend himself, his justification for using force ended.” Milner also expressed his concerns to the reporters, saying that Cox was an MMA fighter and was challenging Vess to a fight.
Cox has reportedly had a history of abuse while serving the Dallas Fire-Rescue division. In 2016, he was placed on 12 months probation after pleading guilty for another incident with a homeless man, WFAA states.
Cox and others had allegedly denied care to a homeless man with a head injury. Assuming the man was drunk once they arrived, Cox laughed and mocked the man, who had a speech impediment. Hirschell Fletcher, the homeless man, later died of a “brain bleed.”
Cox is still on leave, and the Dallas Fire Department is opening investigations following two lawsuits.
