Mississippi Cop Shot 6 Times by Former Cop as He Responded to a Distress Call; Shooter Sent to Jail for Lifetime

A man from Newton has been sentenced to life in prison following his guilty plea in relation to the tragic deaths of his fiancée and a Meridian police officer.

A former Newton police officer, Dante Bender, was sentenced to life imprisonment in Mississippi.

A tragic incident occurred on June 9, 2022, when Officer Kennis Croom, 30, lost his life while responding to a distress call. The call involved a devastating incident where a woman named Brittany Jones was fatally shot.

Bender was arrested on June 10, in Ackerman, Mississippi, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Meridian.

An incident involving law enforcement occurred on 51st Avenue within the city limits of Meridian, taking place after 5:30 p.m. The shooting occurred following the officer’s response to a domestic violence call.

The Lauderdale County Coroner, Clayton Cobler, has reported that Croom sustained a gunshot wound to the head and five gunshot wounds to the chest. The body was transported to the State Crime Lab for an autopsy.

Croom hailed from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and comes from a family with deep ties to University of Alabama football.

He has prior experience as a Jackson police officer.

At a plea hearing, Bender confessed to shooting Croom and Jones while intoxicated. He admitted his guilt for one count of capital murder and one count of murder in the first degree.

Bender received a life sentence with no chance of parole.

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