Suspect Arrested After Mississippi Police Officer Shot Dead in Line of Duty

Dante Marquez Bender, 31, was arrested on Friday in connection with the killing of police officer Kennis Croom, 30, on Thursday, according to officials and reports.

The shooting occurred in Meridian, Mississippi, at 5:36 p.m, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said in a public statement. Croom, an officer with the Meridian Police Department (MPD), was responding to a domestic violence call when he was shot, and the next officer on the scene found Croom down, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Croom “was shot once in the head and five times in the chest,” per a county coroner, WJTV reported.

“A woman believed to be Bender’s girlfriend or fiancée, Brittany Jones, also was found dead at the scene,” according to the AP. WTOK noted that she was pregnant.

The MBI issued a blue alert for Bender following the shooting that stated he was last seen in the 2400 block of 51st avenue but canceled the alert Friday, noting that he was in custody.

Authorities said that Bender was apprehended “in Ackerman, located about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Meridian, according to a post shared on social media by police there,” the AP noted. Bender was arrested by the U.S. Marshals, WAPT reported, but charges are not immediately clear.

Bender was reportedly a police officer in Newton, Mississippi, for a few months before being fired in January following an off-duty incident at a Walmart with another person, according to Newton Police Chief Randy Patrick.

In a press briefing following the suspect’s apprehension, Meridian Police Chief Deborah Young expressed her grief over the death of the fallen officer, who showed up for work Thursday even though he was supposed to have the day off, per WTOK.

“He lost his life doing what he loved,” Young said. “He was full of passion, joy and dedication.”

The Jackson Police Department, which Croom used to also work for, paid tribute to his memory on Thursday night.

“To the family of Officer Croom, I am praying for your strength during this time of immense sorrow,” the Jackson police chief said in a statement. “I also pray that the individual responsible for this heinous act be brought to justice immediately.”

Croom’s body was set to be transported to his hometown of Tuscaloosa on Friday, where the city’s police department will honor the fallen officer by treating his funeral “as if it was that for a Tuscaloosa police officer,” the Tuscaloosa News reported.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at@EthanLetkeman.