In the early morning hours of July 26, 1996, Patrolwoman Sherry Hopper Goodman, a 38-year-old White female officer with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, was on duty in Memphis, Tennessee. Having served with the department for just over four years, she was a respected member of the law enforcement community. The events that unfolded that fateful morning would cut her life short, leaving a lasting impact on her family and colleagues.
While on patrol in the Frayser area, Deputy Goodman
conducted a traffic stop at approximately 2:18 a.m. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 25-year-old Roderick D. Cobb. A check revealed that Cobb had outstanding warrants, prompting Goodman to place him under arrest. Another deputy arrived on the scene to assist, and Cobb was searched and placed in the back of Goodman's patrol car, handcuffed behind his back. Deputy Goodman then began the process of transporting the prisoner to the jail.
Tragedy struck near the intersection of Thomas Street and Weakley Avenue. While en route, Cobb managed to produce a concealed. 38 caliber revolver. He fired the weapon, striking Patrolwoman Goodman in the back of the head. Her patrol car crashed, and she was found deceased at the scene. Cobb managed to escape from the vehicle and fled.
A manhunt for the suspect ensued, and Roderick Cobb was apprehended approximately eight hours later at a friend's house. In the summer of 1997, he was tried and convicted for the murder of Patrolwoman Sherry Hopper Goodman. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During a later appeal, Cobb claimed that his attorney had not adequately pursued his version of events, in which he alleged that another car pulled up beside Goodman's cruiser and someone from that vehicle shot her. Another source has raised questions about the official account, suggesting Cobb may have been framed. Patrolwoman Goodman was survived by her husband and two teenage children.
