Camden County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
End of Watch: Monday, August 28, 2000
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: 1111
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 28, 2000
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Sergeant Carlton Jenkins was shot and killed after making a traffic stop of a robbery suspect on northbound I-95, near mile marker 19, at 12:39 am.
Sergeant Jenkins had stopped an older model vehicle in response to a bulletin put out by a neighboring jurisdiction in Florida. The vehicle was connected to several armed robberies that had happened earlier in the evening.
During the stop, Sergeant Jenkins ordered the suspect to exit and approach the rear of the vehicle. However, the suspect did not comply and stood in the doorway of the vehicle. Sergeant Jenkins repeated his order as the suspect reached inside the vehicle saying he was retrieving his license. He immediately turned and fired four shots at the officer. As Sergeant Jenkins was laying on the ground the suspect took his handgun and shot him in the head, killing him. The entire incident occurred in less than 20 seconds, 13 of which Sergeant Jenkins was being fired upon.
A passing truck driver witnessed part of the incident and called for help using Sergeant Jenkins' radio. The trucker was able to give a description of the vehicle and the suspect was arrested approximately four hours later. The man was sentenced to two life sentences plus 35 years without the possibility of parole.
Sergeant Jenkins had served with the Camden County Sheriff's Office for seven years and had previously served with the Kingsland Police Department and the United States Department of Defense - Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Police Department. He had been recognized as Officer of the Year in 1999. He is survived by his wife and five children.
In August of 2010, the 28th day of August was declared to be Sergeant Carlton Daniel Jenkins Day in Camden County.