A police officer in Weakley County was shot and killed early Friday morning while responding to a disturbance call in Martin, Tennessee.
Weakley County’s sheriff said the deputy, identified as 38-year-old Derrick Bonham, was trying to assist officers from the Martin Police Department. The city agency had received a call of possible shots fired at the Days Inn near the University of Tennessee at Martin campus. S
Sheriff Terry McDade said Bonham approached a car at a gas station across the street from the hotel that fit the description of the one described in the call for assistance. McDade says the driver of the car, who the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified on Friday evening as 44-year-old Khristi Dawn Cunningham of Ohio, opened her door and shot Bonham. The sheriff said the suspect allegedly shot Bonham again after he fell to the ground.
Bonham was taken to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died.
TBI agents charged Cunningham with one count of first degree murder. She is being held without bond.
Bonham, who McDade said was originally from east Tennessee, had worked for the Weakley County Sheriff’s office for just under two years.
Editor's note, Jan. 30, 2026 9:13 p.m. CT: This story has been updated to include the suspect's identifying information and criminal charges following confirmation from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
