A man accused of driving drunk and killing a Smyrna police officer in April was free on $100,000 bond Monday, Cobb County jail records show.
Officer Christopher Ewing, 34, was on duty April 20 when he encountered a suspected drunken driver, according to police. Ewing’s blue lights and siren were on, but the driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe failed to yield, striking the patrol car, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The impact of the collision sent the mangled cruiser into the parking lot of a gas station at the intersection of South Cobb and Oak drives about 11:20 p.m. A gas station employee heard the crash and called 911. Ewing died from his injuries.
After the crash, a witness reported seeing the Tahoe driver, later identified as Robert Lorenzo Cox, remove two beer bottles from the SUV and throw them into a trash can before emergency crews arrived. Investigating troopers said they verified the witness’ account using surveillance footage.
According to a trooper, one of the beer bottles was opened. Cox was “unsteady on his feet, his eyes were very watery in appearance, and he slurred his speech,” his warrant states. He refused all field sobriety testing.
Investigators charged Cox with homicide by vehicle in the first degree and driving under the influence, both felonies. He was also charged with tampering with evidence, open container violation, failure to yield and not wearing a seat belt.
Cox, 36, of Duluth, spent 88 days in jail following his arrest, jail records show. He was released Saturday and was fitted with an ankle monitor, according to jail records.
Ewing, who was a married father of three, is the only metro Atlanta officer killed in the line of duty in 2020. He was a two-year veteran of the Smyrna Police Department and also served in the Air Force Reserves. He was a 2004 graduate of Osborne High School, where he played football.
In 2005, Ewing enlisted in the Air Force Reserves, where he was assigned to the 94th APS Reserve Unit at Robins AFB in Warner Robins. He served various deployments to Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Kuwait and Bagram, and received numerous awards and medals for his service. Ewing’s funeral was held at Cobb’s Truist Park.
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