Bardstown Police Department, Kentucky
End of Watch: Saturday, May 25, 2013
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: 139
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 25, 2013
Weapon Used: Shotgun; 12 gauge
Suspect Info: At large
Police Officer Jason Ellis was shot and killed from ambush on an exit ramp off the Bluegrass Parkway shortly before 2:50 a.m.
A citizen called 911 at 2:53 a.m. to report that an officer had been fatally struck by a vehicle. A Kentucky State Police trooper responded to the scene and discovered that Officer Ellis had been shot.
Officer Ellis was en route home following his shift and was in uniform driving a marked vehicle. It is believed that a subject had purposely placed debris in the middle of the roadway with the intent of setting an ambush. As Officer Ellis removed the debris the subject opened fire with a shotgun from a nearby hilltop, shooting him multiple times and killing him instantly.
The subject who shot him remains at large.
Officer Ellis had served with the Bardstown Police Department for seven years. He is survived by his wife, two sons, mother, stepfather, and two sisters. Officer Ellis is buried in Highview Cemetery, Chaplin, Kentucky.
Officer Ellis' canine partner, Figo, was retired after his murder and lived with a family member. Figo passed away in 2017.
In June 2014, thirteen miles of Bluegrass Parkway was renamed Officer Jason Ellis Memorial Highway.