Injured trooper who killed shooter has Hardin County connections

Sept. 29– A third generation Tennessee state trooper is recovering today after being shot in the chest by a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop Wednesday evening on Interstate-40 in Henderson County, the Tennessee Department of Safety said.

The injured officer, Dwayne Stanford, has Hardin County connections.

He is the grandson of retired trooper Leon Stanford and wife Pat Stanford, who recently retired after serving many years as a dispatcher for Hardin County E-911.

According to the Safety Department, Trooper Dwayne Stanford was returning to Jackson from training in Nashville when he pulled over a vehicle for traffic-related violations at approximately 5:20 p.m. in the westbound lane of I-40 near mile 115.

Stanford took the female driver, Christi Pepper, 47, of Cadiz, Ky., into custody for an outstanding criminal warrant and placed Pepper in his patrol car.

While returning to the stopped vehicle, a male passenger, Robert Cunningham, Jr., 50, also of Cadiz, stepped out and fired a weapon at Stanford.

Stanford returned fire, and shot and killed Cunningham.

Stanford, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was shot once in the chest during the incident.

He was transported to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.

"Trooper Stanford is one of our best and brightest troopers on the road. He is well respected by his peers and the command staff. His training and experience helped save his life," said Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Tracy Trott.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.

Stanford has been relieved of duty with pay until the conclusion of the investigation, which is standard procedure in any trooper shooting incident.

"Our state troopers face dangers every day, especially during traffic stops. Trooper Stanford’s experience on I-40 is an unfortunate reminder of that," said Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons.

"Our state troopers are Tennessee’s finest. When citizens encounter state troopers, I hope they will take just a moment to thank them for their public service, courage, and sacrifice," Gibbons added.

Trooper Stanford joined the Department of Safety and Homeland Security in 2002 as a communications dispatcher and was later commissioned as a state trooper in 2007. His initial assignment was as a road trooper in Fayette County until being transferred to Henderson County in the Jackson District in 2008.

He earned the 2010 Trooper of the Year honor for locating a juvenile who was kidnapped out of Maryland within 20 minutes of an Amber Alert notification. Stanford arrested the suspect without incident and preserved potential evidence in the case.

Stanford was also recognized in 2010 as one of the top 10 troopers in DUI enforcement, with 30 arrests.