Slain Officer Kennis Croom Laid To Rest In Hometown Of Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa Police Department Deputy Chief Sebo Sanders first met Kennis Croom in 2009, when dispatchers informed him of a possible minor altercation involving several people at University Mall.

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Croom was one of the young people mentioned at the scene, Sanders said, so he decided to call Croom's father — beloved College Hill Baptist Church pastor and former Alabama football player Kelvin Croom — to see if he could stop by to talk to his son.

"When I walked in, I could see the eyes on Kennis and Teresa, I knew right then I didn't have to do no kind of scare tactics," he said, with the crowd before him bursting into laughter.

The gymnasium at Shelton State Community College was filled with dignitaries and law enforcement officials from across the southeast on Saturday as a public celebration of life was held for Croom, whose body rested in a flag-draped casket in front of the stage.

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Croom, a native of Tuscaloosa and 2009 graduate of Paul W. Bryant High School, was shot and killed in the line of duty on June 9 while responding to a domestic violence call in Mississippi for the Meridian Police Department.

The devoted police officer and father was less than a month shy of his 31st birthday.

Sanders was just one of the speakers during Saturday's public ceremony and thought back not just to the young man he first met in 2009, but the man he would go on to become.

"What I didn't know that day was God was making plans for Kennis to become a hero," he said. "Two weeks after the mall incident, he came up to me and told me he wanted to become a police officer."

Sanders then recalled their long conversations during ride-alongs, with Croom going on to become an intern with TPD before embarking on a law enforcement career that spanned Alabama and Mississippi.

"He wanted to become a police officer and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity," he said. "Kennis fulfilled both of those dreams and I was proud of him. I was even prouder of him to see the man he became. A man of integrity, a man of morals, a Godly man that everyone would want to follow."

Croom's impact in the law enforcement field was reflected in the myriad different uniforms and vehicle markings of agencies from around the area present at the ceremony. During his law enforcement career, Croom worked in his home state in cities like Eutaw, Uniontown and Vance, before taking his skills and passion to Mississippi.

Those in attendance also heard from Croom's police chief in Meridian, as well as the man who used Croom's handcuffs to apprehend the suspect believed to be responsible following a large-scale manhunt.

But it was Croom's connections to Tuscaloosa that stand out as being much bigger than his time in law enforcement. This is thanks to the myriad contributions of his family — one of the most established families in all of Alabama.

Connections such as Tracy Croom — his mother and longtime Tuscaloosa city clerk — whose work with both Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill saw the two elected officials take to the podium to give their condolences.

Maddox focused on the notion of sacrifice for others, as Croom laid down his life responding to a call where a suspect had already killed his pregnant fiancée. As Patch previously reported, Croom was credited with stopping the suspect from harming four other children who were present at the scene.

"We gather here today to give voice to hope and heroism and because of that hope and heroism — because Kennis lived — others have the opportunity to continue living," the mayor said. "Officer Croom made a decision on free will on June 9 when he made a conscious decision to sacrifice his life for others — for those vulnerable children."

Prior to Maddox speaking, though, Merrill made a comment few would dispute when he referred to the Croom family as Tuscaloosa's "Royal Family."

The Croom family embodies success, he said, with their guiding principles reflected in the way Kennis Croom lived his three decades on this earth.

"They are all good looking, they're all smart, they're all accomplished in their fields," he said as the crowd perked up with laughter. "They are an example for all of us, not just their own families, but for all of us ... It did not surprise me that Kennis' tragic incident that occurred, occurred on his day off. Who else but a Croom would be working on their day off to try to help somebody?"

The Celebration of Life for Kennis Croom was followed by a long procession of police vehicles from Shelton State to Memory Hill Gardens on Skyland Boulevard, where he was given a formal law enforcement burial.

In lieu of flowers, the Croom family is asking for donations to The Croom Foundation as a way to honor the memory of Kennis Croom. You can donate by clicking here.

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