Kyle Vess v. Brad Cox and the City of Dallas - CobCast Ep. 13

On August 2, 2019, Kyle Vess was strapped to a bed at Parkland Memorial Hospital with a swollen ankle and fractures in his face. The Dallas Police Department was holding him on a charge of assaulting a public servant. In their reports, they say he assaulted a Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedic because that’s what the paramedic and others with DFR said happened before police arrived on the scene.

But, that’s not all that happened.

The paramedic is a trained MMA fighter named Brad Cox, and Kyle later tried to tell officers that Cox kicked him in the face while he was on the ground. It’s what a DPD officer who was on the scene told her sergeant, which sparked a public integrity investigation into Cox. It’s also what Kyle’s mom asked the Dallas Country District Attorney’s office to investigate in a complaint filed just months after the incident. But, the public integrity investigation ultimately cleared Cox. The DA didn’t fully investigate. And, ever since, Kyle’s been stuck with the charges from that day. About two years would pass before a lawsuit and released body camera footage and police documents about the incident would throw Kyle’s story into the media spotlight. I’m going to try to take you through a more complete version of this story than what ended up in police documents. When it’s all laid out, it’s not so much a story about a man assaulting a public servant. It’s a story about mental illness, vague police reports and a paramedic/trained fighter with a history of alleged misconduct.

I’ve been following this story for the Dallas Observer since August 2021, and it’s still ongoing. In this episode of the CobCast, I’ll take you through my reporting from the beginning to where we are now. For more on Kyle’s story, visit DallasObserver.com.

This is an audio adaptation written, recorded and produced by me. Body camera footage was obtained from the Dallas Police Department via an open records request. Music is also by me. 

Lawsuit: Dallas Paramedic Kicked Detained Man in Face

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/lawsuit-dallas-paramedic-kicked-man-in-face-while-in-police-custody-12235286

Video Shows Moment Dallas Fire-Rescue Employee Kicks Man in the Face

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/video-dallas-fire-rescue-employee-kicks-man-in-face-12455856

How a Dallas Police Investigation Cleared the Firefighter Who Kicked a Detained Man in 2019

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/police-investigation-cleared-firefighter-brad-cox-who-kicked-detained-man-in-2019-12490883

Dallas Fire-Rescue Puts Firefighter Who Kicked Detained Man On Leave

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-firefighter-brad-cox-who-kicked-detained-man-in-2019-put-on-administrative-leave-12512391

New Video Shows Dallas Paramedic Repeatedly Kicking Mentally Ill Man Before Police Show Up

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/watch-dallas-paramedic-kicks-mentally-ill-man-several-times-before-police-arrive-on-scene-12638001

Dallas District Attorney Drops Charges Against Mentally Ill Man Kicked Repeatedly by Paramedic

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-district-attorney-drops-charges-against-mentally-ill-man-kicked-repeatedly-by-paramedic-12682821

Family, Attorney Call For Arrest of Dallas Paramedic Who Repeatedly Kicked Mentally Ill Man

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/family-attorney-call-for-arrest-of-dallas-paramedic-who-repeatedly-kicked-mentally-ill-man-12699330

Fired Dallas Paramedic Brad Cox, Who Kicked Mentally Ill Man in 2019, Loses License

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/fired-dallas-paramedic-brad-cox-who-kicked-mentally-ill-man-kyle-vess-in-2019-has-license-revoked-12806536