Suspect Captured After Officer Who 'Chose to Come In' on Day Off Killed

A suspect has been arrested in Mississippi following the death of a police officer who was responding to a domestic incident where a woman was also found dead at the scene.

Dante Bender, 31, was arrested in the town of Ackerman in Choctaw County on Friday following a statewide search involving the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Officer Kennis Croom, who had come in on his day off, responded to a domestic disturbance in the city of Meridian, Mississippi at around 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET) on Thursday. He was the first law enforcement officer to arrive at the scene after shots had been fired.

Croom soon "advised there were shots being fired," according to Meridian Police Chief Deborah Young. A second officer present at the scene then reported that Officer Croom was down.

Brittany Jones was found dead at the scene and had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Croom was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Jones was reportedly Bender's fiancée and he had previously worked as a Newton police officer. According to Mississippi's WTOK, Jones was also expecting a baby.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued a blue alert for the 31-year-old Bender on Thursday night and a statewide search was carried out. He was apprehended by a U.S. Marshals Service task force at around 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET) on Friday morning.

"Any time a life is lost it's tragic. This whole incident is tragic and senseless. Officer Kennis Croom lost his life doing what he loved, serving this community," Chief Young told reporters on Friday.

"He was full of passion, joy and dedication. Although yesterday was his day off he chose to come in and serve, which he was known to do regularly," she said.

Bender is facing charges over the deaths of Croom and Jones. He appeared at Lauderdale County Justice Court on Friday where he reportedly denied he had committed any crimes.

Croom was originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and had worked for the Hinds County Sheriff's Department, the Terry Police Department and the Jackson Police Department.

Jackson Police Chief James Davis offered his condolences and described the late officer as "a hero forever."

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones had worked with Croom when they were both at Jackson PD's Precinct 4.

"I last spoke with Kennis in April after he sent me a message wanting to ask me a question. I can remember picking up the phone and immediately calling him, because we'd not spoken in a while and I wanted to make sure he was good and answer whatever questions he had," the sheriff said in a Facebook post.

"We are forever thankful and grateful for his service and we are thankful to his family for their sacrifices by sharing Kennis with various communities to serve. May God be with you all during this difficult time," Jones said.

Croom's family has thanked the public for their support and prayers and asked that donations be made to the Croom Foundation, which says its focus is "to take youth and teens off of the streets and place them into college seats."