SEATTLE - King County sheriff's deputies plan to hold a round-the-clock vigil until a funeral service is held for Deputy Steve Cox, who was killed by gunman Raymond Porter while responding to a shooting south of West Seattle.

Friends, community activists and other officers Sunday brought flowers and notes to a makeshift memorial at the White Center Sheriff & Community Service Center, where deputies will hold vigil.

Cox, 46, died Saturday after he was shot in the head while responding to a shooting near a residence in southwest Seattle.

Officers responded to the call around 1:42 a.m. Saturday and found the driver of a truck who had been beaten and shot at least once in the head in the White Center neighborhood. The man's wounds were not life-threatening, the sheriff's office said in a statement later Saturday.

"Apparently, the man had been drinking, gotten lost and ran his truck into a parked car, which likely precipitated the assault," sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.

Officers began questioning at least a dozen people at a party at a nearby house.

Deputy Steve Cox was interviewing people in a back bedroom, Urquhart said, when a shot was heard. Two deputies moved toward the back of the house and were fired upon. At least one officer returned fire and they rushed into the room.

The gunman, 23-year-old Raymond Porter, had been shot and killed. Deputies found Cox with a gunshot to the head. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he died about 6 a.m.

Cox, 46, was a nine-year veteran of the department and had been patrolling the White Center area for more than three years. He also lived in the area with his wife and young son.

He had a law degree and had served as a deputy prosecutor in King, Franklin and Adams counties before becoming a sheriff's deputy.

To the White Center community in which he served, Cox was more than a sheriff's deputy.

"He was raised here, he went to school here. he loved the community, did everything he could for the community, believed in the community," said Tony Benavides.

Cox did more than anyone to rid the area of drug dealing and prostitution, said Cheryl Moss, a local bartender. "He was our Superman. And now our Superman's dead," she said.

"I can't put the words together to express how hurt this community is and the sheriff's office is," said Sgt. David Hoag.

Pending the investigation, the two other deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard procedure, Urquhart said.

"This is a terrible loss to the sheriff's office, and an especially painful loss to the community," Sheriff Sue Rahr said. "Steve epitomized the concept of community policing and giving back to the residents where you work. He cannot be replaced."