PO Kennis Croom
Officer: Meridian Police Department, Police Officer Kennis Croom
Date: 6/9/2022 Location: Meridian, MS FACTORS (1,2,9,13,15,18,19)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Dante Marquez Bender
Criminal Activity History/Involved: None stated, however Bender was fired approximately two weeks earlier from his job as a police officer with the Newton Police Department. / Yes, Bender was involved in a violent domestic dispute with his pregnant fiancé, Brittany Jones who he murdered.
Mental Illness: None stated.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown. / None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: Black/Male/31
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 5:30 p.m. on June 9, 2022, Police Officer Kennis Croom responded to a 911 call of domestic violence. Upon arriving at the scene, PO Croom encountered Dante Bender and advised over the radio he had him “at gunpoint.”
Actions taken by subject toward police: Even while being held at gunpoint, Bender managed to shoot at and fatally hit PO Croom who transmitted over the radio that “shots were being fired.” After murdering PO Croom and Brittany Jones, Bender fled the scene.
Reactions by the police: The first backup officer to arrive on the scene found both PO Croom and Brittany Jones dead from gunshot wounds. US Marshalls tracked Bender down 80 miles away the next morning and arrested him.
How murdered? PO Croom was fatally shot while handling a violent domestic dispute at the murderer’s residence.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Given the violent nature of the call, and since PO Croom reported he had Bender at gun point, he had reasonable cause to believe his life was in danger when Bender disregarded his lawful orders at gunpoint and made a furtive movement.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? Yes, PO Croom was justified to use deadly force when Bender made the furtive movement to access a weapon and point it at him.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Bender was arrested and has been charged with capital murder.
Miscellaneous: The current atmosphere where police use of deadly force against a black man is commonly hyper sensationalized may have influenced PO Croom to not immediately pull the trigger in response to Bender’s furtive movements.
