Breaking: Nevada Highway Patrol trooper shot, killed on U.S. 93 in Ely

File Photo: Gephardt Daily

ELY, Nevada, March 27, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A man wanted in the shooting death of a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Friday has been taken into custody.

According to a statement by the Eureka County, Nevada Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened shortly before 6 a.m. when a trooper identified as Sergeant Ben Jenkins stopped to help a motorist on US-93 near White Pine County mile marker 106 in Ely.

Investigators say that while making contact the suspect shot and killed on Jenkins. He then allegedly stole the trooper’s uniform and his patrol vehicle.

After several hours of searching the suspect was taken into custody “with the a help of multiple law enforcement agencies,” which included helicopter support from the Utah Highway Patrol.

The full statement released by the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office is as follows.

We are devastated to report that Sergeant Ben Jenkins #4196 was killed in the line of duty this morning. Sgt. Jenkins had stopped to assist a motorist on US-93 in the White Pine county area. During this contact, the motorist open fired on Sgt. Ben Jenkins, who was struck and killed. The motorist stole the Sergeant’s uniform and fled the scene in Sgt. Jenkins’ patrol vehicle. Following a search that lasted several hours, the suspect was located and taken into custody with the assistance of multiple agencies.

47-year-old Sgt. Jenkins was an Elko native who devoted his life to public service and to serving Nevadans. He began working for the Highway Patrol in March 2008 as a Trooper in Jackpot and was promoted to Sergeant in Elko in 2017. Prior to NHP, he was a training officer for the Nevada State Fire Marshal Division, a crew supervisor for the Nevada Division of Forestry, an Assistant Fire Chief for the Spring Creek Volunteer Fire Department, and a veteran of both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. In 2011, Jenkins received the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s highest honor, the Gold Medal of Valor, which is presented to officers who perform an extraordinary act of heroism.

He is survived by his wife, his mother, four children, and five grandchildren. This is a time of tremendous grief for our agency, his family, and our communities. A memorial service is pending and that information will be forthcoming at a later date.

Gephardt Daily is following this developing story and will provide more information as it is made available.

The location of Ely Nev is marked on this Google Map

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