New Details Released in Trooper Shooting
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Trooper Dwayne Stanford, 27, of Lexington, was released from a Jackson around noon, Thursday. He is resting at home thanks to a bullet proof vest that saved his life. Wednesday, Stanford was on his way back from training in Nashville when around 5:20 p.m. he spotted a license plate troopers had been told to look out for. At mile marker 115 on westbound I-40 he arrested Christi Pepper, 47, of Cadiz, Ky. She was wanted for writing bad checks in her home state. With her in the back of a cruiser, that’s when the THP says Pepper’s passenger Robert Cunningham Junior, 50, also of Cadiz, Ky., got out and started firing. Trooper Stanford was hit in the chest. Cunningham died in the gun battle. Lt. Brad Wilbanks said, “Trooper Stanford is like so many other men and women of our department. They are heroes every day. The job they do out there. This time he happened to be the one involved in the incident and he did the right thing.” This incident highlights the danger that law enforcement faces every moment they are on duty. Wilbanks went on to say, “Anytime you approach a car you don’t know what’s going to happen. Police officers are trained to be aware of the surroundings. That’s our job that’s what we do.” Pepper was not hurt. She is behind bars in the Henderson County Jail.
