**Two Nevada State Troopers Killed in Hit-and-Run While Helping Driver, Suspect in Custody**
LAS VEGAS — Tragedy struck early Thursday morning when two Nevada state troopers were fatally struck in a hit-and-run while assisting another driver on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas.
According to Las Vegas police Undersheriff Andrew Walsh, a suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. The driver’s name has not been released, and it is unclear what charges the suspect will face.
The two officers had stopped to check on a driver who was asleep behind the wheel when a white Chevrolet HHR struck them both at around 3:30 a.m. The driver did not stop, but the car was found abandoned at a nearby apartment complex around 8 a.m. The identities of the slain officers have not been released, but Deputy Police Chief Branden Clarkson described them as husbands with children.
A video released by the police department showed the bodies of both troopers being escorted to the Clark County coroner’s office by about two dozen officers on motorcycles, with their blue-and-red police lights flashing. Later, dozens of law enforcement officers gathered outside the coroner’s office to salute as the bodies, covered with American flags, were carried inside by uniformed state troopers.
Governor Joe Lombardo expressed deep sadness over the loss, ordering all U.S. flags in Nevada to be flown at half-staff until the troopers’ funerals. The governor emphasized the bravery, courage, and sacrifice of the fallen troopers, stating that “we will never forget” them.
This heartbreaking event comes just two years after another state trooper, Micah May, was struck and killed on the same highway during a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. The suspect in that incident hit Trooper May while he was putting down a tire-deflating device across freeway lanes.
As Nevada mourns the loss of the two troopers, the community and law enforcement agencies are rallying together to support the Nevada state police during this difficult time.
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This article was written by RIO YAMAT of the Associated Press. Associated Press writer Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.