Jim Leach began his law enforcement career in 1975, and he shares his insights as a multi media analyst and consultant for Golden Media Group in matters relating to Criminal Justice. Mr. Leach was President of Training Services Group, Inc. for 26 years.
It was about 3 a.m., Friday, January 30, when the call came in that shots had been fired at or near the Days Inn Motel, on University Street, in Martin, less than a mile from the west side of the UTM campus.
Weakley County Sheriff’s Department Deputy, Derrick Bonham, assisted the Martin Police Department on the call. He was attempting to interview a woman sitting in a vehicle at a gas station near the motel.
Witnesses said the woman opened the car door and shot Deputy Bonham. When he fell to the ground, she cold-bloodedly shot him again.
The scene was only minutes from the hospital, but Derrick could not survive his injuries.
It is obvious the woman had every intention of taking his life.
The suspect has been identified as a 44–year–old Kristi Cunningham from Ohio. Cunningham was arrested near the scene by Martin P.D. officers and was later charged with First Degree Murder by the T.B.I. She is being held without bond.
If investigators have discovered her motive or what she was doing in the area, it has not been made public. They may wait until the preliminary hearing to divulge that kind of information. At this point, the police’s job is to conduct a thorough investigation that will lead to the presentation of the facts to the prosecutors, not to keep all of us informed of what they find.
Murder of a police officer carries the death penalty in Tennessee.
When I think of great places to live, Weakley County, Tennessee, is one of the first areas to come to mind. I began my law enforcement career in this county, a little over 50 years ago. Law enforcement is respected. This is sad proof that terrible things can happen anywhere.
Deputy Derrick Bonham had been in law enforcement for about 3 years, serving with the Greenfield Police Department and the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department. He was also a United States military veteran. Derrick is survived by a wife and 3 young children.
Derrick Bonham was answering a call in an attempt to potentially keep someone from getting hurt or killed. Shots were being fired. He had no idea who the potential victims might be. It didn’t matter who they were; it was his job to protect them. He was willing to give up his own life to save a stranger, because that was his sworn duty. Nothing can be more heroic than that.
I will never forget seeing the line of flashing blue lights stretching as far as the eye could see in the darkness. The route of the memorial Sea of Blue wound from the Sheriff’s Department in Dresden, all the way to Greenfield. It was incredible to see the number of people standing on the side of the road, some waving American flags, in near-zero weather, paying their respects and saying goodbye to Deputy Derrick Bonham.
I almost typed, “I wish Derrick could have seen it”, but you know, I got a feeling he did.
God Bless.
The Tennessee Police Benevolent Fund has opened an account in memory of Deputy Derrick Bonham, and you can make donations by going to their website at https://pbfi.networkforgood.com/projects/295133-derrick-bonham-memorial-fund.
The Weakley County Sheriff’s Department has also opened a memorial account for Derrick Bonham with the Greenfield Banking Company.
Sheriff Terry McDade said, “It doesn’t matter if it’s $5 or $10, it’s what you can do to help Nicole and those three babies.”
