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Procession planned for slain Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant

Updated July 5, 2020 - 5:16 pm

A procession for Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Ben Jenkins, who was fatally shot in the line of duty in March, is set for Wednesday morning in Elko.

The 47-year-old’s death, which was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner’s office, was the first fatal shooting of a Highway Patrol trooper in the line of duty in nearly three decades.

Jenkins’ procession is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, starting at the Burns Funeral Home, 895 Fairgrounds Road, and ending at Elko High School, 987 College Ave., where a memorial service is scheduled.

Because of COVID-19, the service will take place on the football field with limited seating, and all guests are required to wear face coverings.

The memorial service will be livestreamed on the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Facebook page.

Jenkins, a married father of five with four grandchildren, had devoted his life to public service. He was a veteran of both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, reaching the rank of sergeant first class in the Army Guard before transferring to the Air Guard in 1995, according to a National Guard spokesman.

He started his career with the Highway Patrol in 2009 as a trooper in Jackpot and was promoted to sergeant in Elko in 2017.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.

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