The Mississippi Highway Control has confirmed the suspect in the murder of Tuscaloosa native and Meridian Police Officer Kennis Croom is in custody Friday morning on Twitter.

As previously reported by the Tuscaloosa Thread, Officer Croom was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic call Thursday afternoon in Meridian, MS. An unidentified woman was also shot and killed in the incident.

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A Blue Alert was later issued in the manhunt to find the suspect, 31-year-old Dante Marquez Bender Thursday night. The alert was canceled following the announcement of his arrest Friday morning.

Bender, a Newton, MS native, was a former police officer for the Newton Police Department. Randy Patrick, the chief of police at the Newton Police Department confirmed with the Tuscaloosa Thread Friday morning that he was terminated from the department in January 2022.

Stay connected with the Tuscaloosa Thread for more coverage of the memorialization of Officer Kennis Croom as it develops.

Top Stories from the Tuscaloosa Thread (5/31 - 6/6)

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