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By Alexis Stevens
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — After just a year on the job, a state trooper was killed in a crash while attempting a traffic stop, the Georgia Department of Public Safety said Monday.
“The Department of Public Safety sends its sincerest condolences and prayers to Trooper Jimmy Cenescar’s family and co-workers,” the agency said in a media release. “Please keep Trooper Cenescar’s family in your prayers as they cope with the loss of their loved one.”
Investigators believe Cenescar was attempting to stop a motorcycle for a traffic violation on I-85 North near Old Peachtree Road in Gwinnett County when his vehicle left the roadway and struck an embankment. Cenescar was taken to Northside Gwinnett Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Cenescar is the fifth officer to die in the line of duty across the country in 2024, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. Of the five, two have been from Georgia.
Sunday night, Gov. Brian Kemp offered his condolences in a social media post.
“Marty, the girls, and I are truly heartbroken by the tragic passing of one of Georgia’s finest,” Kemp said. “This is the ultimate sacrifice and our hearts and prayers are with the family and loved ones mourning this loss and all law enforcement tonight as they serve their fellow Georgians.”
Cenescar had been employed with the DPS since January 2023 and was a graduate of the 114th Trooper School, the agency said. Funeral arrangements were pending.
The trooper is the third Georgia law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty since late December.
On Dec. 29, Sgt. Marc McIntyre of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while responding to a domestic call near Griffin. Then on Jan. 4, Deputy Eric Minix with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office died after being hit by an Alabama police officer’s patrol car as he stepped out of his own vehicle at the end of a chase, according to investigators.
In September 2022, a state patrol trooper cadet collapsed during training and later died after being rushed to the hospital, officials said. Patrick Dupree was a member of the state’s 113th trooper school.
In a previous incident, Georgia State Trooper First Class Chadwick LeCroy was shot to death in December 2010.
On Dec. 27, 2010, Gregory Favors sped away from LeCroy during a routine traffic stop for a broken taillight and crashed his car near the intersection of Hightower Road and St. Paul Avenue in Atlanta. When LeCroy approached, Favors pulled out a gun and opened fire, fatally striking the trooper in the neck. The trooper was 38.
Favors was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
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