16-year-old driver was not injured, remained at the accident scene.

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.

Jenkins 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.

Walter Jenkins