Community commemorates TN police officers killed on I-40 21 years later

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tuesday marks the 21st anniversary of two Wilson County police officers losing their lives on I-40. More than two decades later, officers continue to pay tribute to them after they made the ultimate sacrifice.

“We will never forget today,” said Mt. Juliet Police Chief Michael Mullins.

Mt. Juliet Police Sergeant Jerry Mundy and Wilson County Sheriff’s Deputy John Musice were laying nail barriers to end a chase on I-40 when they were killed by the getaway driver.

Mt. Juliet Police Chief Michael Mullins was on the scene that day. “At first I just couldn’t believe it. I saw things that I never want to see again and that I would rather forget,” Mullins said.

“I have stood on this spot exactly three times since that day,” said Trish Mundy Bolinger, Sergeant Mundy’s widow.

On Tuesday morning, Sergeant Mundy’s widow, Trish, and dozens of law enforcement officers from Mt. Juliet to Wilson County returned to that very spot to pay their final respects.

“I’ve always said that I care as much as I do about the officers who are still on duty and that I want them to know what their service means to them,” Mundy Bolinger said.

Mundy Bolinger has worked with Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) for years to help grieve families who have lost a loved one in the line of duty.

“It’s about counseling and disengagement, no matter what your relationship was with that officer, whether it was as a spouse, father-in-law or parent,” Mundy Bolinger said.

In this way, she gives something back and continues to be supported by the community.

“It’s important for them to know that this community doesn’t forget their families and their colleagues and will stand by them 20 years later, no matter what happens when they leave the house in the morning and if they never return home,” said Mundy Bolinger.