A Rockdale County sheriff’s deputy working a traffic detail was fatally wounded Wednesday night when he was hit by a teenage driver, authorities said.
Deputy Walter Jenkins, 54, was hit around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Ga. 138 and Ga. 212, the Georgia State Patrol said in a statement. According to the GSP, Jenkins, who was in uniform and wearing a reflective vest, was struck by a silver Kia Sportage driven by a 16-year-old girl.
Jenkins, who had worked in law enforcement for 27 years, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.
“Last night an angel was called home,” the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook. “Deputy Walter D. Jenkins Jr. was tragically killed while directing traffic in Rockdale County. The men and women of the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office are extremely heartbroken. Please keep Deputy Jenkins’ family and RCSO in your prayers”
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Deputy Jedida Canty said the driver who hit Jenkins stayed at the scene until more deputies arrived. Another deputy was on the scene assisting Jenkins directing traffic when the incident occurred.
“Deputy Jenkins did not see the oncoming car. The deputy that was with him did and tried to stop the vehicle from striking (Jenkins) but wasn’t successful,” Canty said.
The crash remains under investigation, and charges have not been determined, a spokesperson for the GSP said Thursday. Canty said members of the sheriff’s office, including Sheriff Eric Levett, have spoken to the driver’s family to make sure she was OK.
Canty described Jenkins as a funny man who got along with everyone he met and someone who made sure to lighten up your day.
“He had such an infectious smile. If you were having a bad day, he would make your day so much better,” Canty said. “He was a comedian, he would make you laugh. He was just very silly, very fun to be around.”
Jenkins started his law enforcement career as a corrections officer at Phillips State Prison in 1995. He spent most of his career, from September 1999 to January 2021, as an officer with the College Park Police Department, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) records.
He joined the Rockdale sheriff’s office in 2021 as a deputy before becoming a reserve officer in January. He worked with the sheriff’s office’s motor unit handling traffic.
“It was a very unfortunate event. We, here at the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, we are heartbroken. We are mourning, it’s just very sad and unfortunate,” Canty said.
Jenkins is the third Rockdale deputy killed in the line of duty, according to the Officers Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. The last time a deputy from that agency was killed was May 8, 2010, when Brian Lamar Mahaffey was shot to death while attempting to serve a warrant.
This year, Jenkins is the second Georgia officer killed in the line of duty. On March 30, Investigator Donald Croom with the Houston County District Attorney’s Office was killed in a vehicle crash. He was 56. In 2021, eight Georgia officers died in the line of duty.
Canty said they had received messages of support from agencies all over the state and country. She said some even responded to Grady after hearing about the crash.
“It just shows how much of a brotherhood and sisterhood we have,” Canty said. ”We are a big family, we support each other, especially when something like this so tragically happens. We are going to go ahead and support our brothers and sisters.”
— Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
