WATCH: Slain Mississippi Officer Escorted Home To Tuscaloosa

NORTHPORT, AL — The gray clouds overhead provided a somber backdrop Friday evening as area and state law enforcement solemnly escorted the remains of a fallen hero back to his hometown of Tuscaloosa.

Meridian Police officer and Tuscaloosa native Kennis Croom was shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday evening in Mississippi while responding to a call. But despite a large part of his career working in Mississippi, his final resting place will be in Tuscaloosa County.

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Northport Funeral and Cremation is handling arrangements for the Croom family and was the final stop of the long procession of police and emergency vehicles Friday.

In addition to his law enforcement service in Mississippi, Croom also served stints at the Eutaw Police Department in Greene County, along with the Vance Police Department. His death represents the 115th law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty in the United States this year.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Croom also represents the third law enforcement officer this month killed by intentional gunfire in the United States.

As Patch previously reported, Kennis Croom is the son of former Alabama football player Kelvin Croom and longtime Tuscaloosa City Clerk Tracy Croom. He is also the nephew of Mississippi State University football coach Sylvester Croom and the brother of Tuscaloosa County EMA Deputy Director Tamara Croom.

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

The Croom Foundation, according to its mission statement, was "created to make a difference in high crime, disadvantaged areas of West Alabama," with the nonprofit focusing on youth and teens.

"A career law enforcement officer at only 31 years old, officer Croom died a hero in the line of duty, serving and protecting the City of Meridian yesterday evening," Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said in a Facebook post Friday that mentioned Croom's connections to the city. "Chief [Brent] Blankley and I have asked our staff to treat officer Croom's funeral the same way that we would the passing of a Tuscaloosa Police Officer. We will also be lighting City buildings blue in his honor starting tonight at sundown."

Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon also said his city would lower the flags to half staff to honor Croom's memory and service.

The large-scale manhunt for 31-year-old Dante Bender, a former police officer also suspected of murdering his pregnant fiancée Thursday night, came to an end Friday morning when he was taken into custody without incident at a gas station in Ackerman, Mississippi.

As several law enforcement agencies in Mississippi noted, Croom's handcuffs were place on Bender's wrists when he was arrested.

According to Mississippi journalist Therese Apel of Darkhorse Press — an independent online news publication that closely covers law enforcement across the state — Croom also served in the Jackson Police Department and Brookhaven Police Department before making the move to Meridian.

Apel reports that Bender is suspected of killing the woman on scene, and was allegedly about to harm four children on the scene when Croom reportedly stopped him from doing so. Bender is suspected of then shooting Croom and fleeing the scene.

Croom was in critical condition when an ambulance arrived and was ultimately airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

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