In the pre-dawn hours of January 30, 2026, a call reporting shots fired near a Days Inn on University Street in Martin, Tennessee, set in motion a tragic chain of events. Weakley County Sheriff's Deputy Derrick Bonham, 37, was among the officers who responded to the scene to assist the Martin Police Department. As law enforcement arrived in the area, a vehicle was seen leaving a nearby gas station.
Deputy Bonham encountered this vehicle at the Pocket's Gas Station to investigate.
During an interaction with the driver, the situation turned deadly. The driver, identified as a white female, opened her car door and fired at Deputy Bonham, causing him to fall to the ground. She then reportedly stood over him and shot him again. Deputy Bonham was rushed to Volunteer Community Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was a husband and father of three children and had served with the Weakley County Sheriff's Office for nearly two years.
The suspect was taken into custody at the scene. She was later identified as 44-year-old Khristi Dawn Cunningham of Ohio. An investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation led to Cunningham being charged with first-degree murder. According to the arrest warrant, it is believed that Cunningham may have planned the attack, having made the initial 911 calls herself to lure law enforcement to the location. The warrant alleges that after making the first call, she drove to the gas station and positioned herself to watch for the responding officers. Body camera footage reportedly shows that when Deputy Bonham parked beside her vehicle, Cunningham exited her car and immediately opened fire. Cunningham is being held without bond.
