Jan 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 1

AROUND THE COUNTRY
LAS VEGAS, NV.
Driver arrested after 2 troopers were killed on a Las Vegas
freeway who had stopped to assist a motorist.
By Rio Yamat
LAS VEGAS, NV. — Two Nevada
state troopers in Las Vegas who
had stopped to help a driver on the
state’s busiest freeway were killed
in the pre-dawn hours Thursday
when an impaired driver struck
them, authorities said.
Las Vegas police Undersheriff
Andrew Walsh said at a mid-day
news conference that they had
arrested the driver, who fled after
hitting the two officers and evaded
authorities for hours before the car
involved in the hit-and-run crash
was found at a nearby apartment
complex.
“Right now during this very tragic
time, the Nevada State Police is
going to need that love and support
from the community more than
ever,” Walsh said.
The state police on Thursday
identified the officers as Sgt. Michael
Abbate, who joined the
agency in December 2013 and was
recently promoted to sergeant, and
Trooper Alberto Felix, who joined
in 2019 after service in the U.S. Air
Force.
Police identified the driver as
Jemarcus Williams, 46. Court and
jail records did not list on Thursday
night an attorney for Williams who
could speak on his behalf.
Williams faces charges of reckless
driving, DUI and failing to stop
TROOPER ALBERTO FELIX
at the scene of the crash, according
to court records. Because the alleged
crimes left two people dead,
the charges include a sentencing
enhancement that could add decades
to Williams’ punishment if he
is convicted.
Around 3:30 a.m., the two officers
had stopped to check on a driver
who was asleep behind the wheel
on Interstate 15 near downtown Las
Vegas when a white Chevrolet HHR
struck them both, police said.
The driver did not stop, said Deputy
Police Chief Branden Clarkson.
But he said investigators found the
car unoccupied at an apartment
complex around 8 a.m. He did not
say how the suspect was found.
One trooper was pronounced
SGT. MICHAEL ABBATE
dead at a hospital. The other died at
the scene.
Video released by the police
department showed the bodies of
both troopers being escorted to the
coroner’s office by about two dozen
officers on motorcycles, their blueand-red
police lights flashing.
Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said he
was “profoundly saddened” by the
deaths, ordered all U.S. flags in Nevada
to be flown at half-staff until
the troopers’ funerals.
“This is a devastating loss for
Nevada law enforcement, the city
of Las Vegas, and our entire state,”
Lombardo said in a statement. “As
we mourn these troopers, we will
never forget their bravery, courage,
and sacrifice.”
28 The Blues - January ‘24