MINERAL COUNTY, Nev. (KOLO) – Mineral County Sheriff Bill Ferguson is accusing Nevada State Police of abandoning them in the wake of a shooting that sent a truck driver to the hospital.
On Tuesday, a truck driver sitting on the side of Highway 6 near the California border was shot by a driver who pulled up next to him. The driver suffered non-life threatening injuries and police are now investigating the incident.
Ferguson says he feels compelled to expose what he says is a critical failure in Nevada’s public safety system, and that he has reached out to Governor Lombardo on the matter but only received silence in return.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Ferguson says he sought the assistance of Nevada Highway Patrol, as the shooting occurred on a state highway. According to Ferguson, NHP responded by telling him that the incident was a county issue, not a highway patrol issue.
“Let that sink in. A shooting on a state highway, and the agency charged with protecting those roads refused to respond. This is a blatant dereliction of duty and a dangerous disregard for the safety of those traveling through our state. Are our state highways no longer the responsibility of the state? If the NHP won’t answer the call in a crisis, then what, exactly are they for?” Ferguson said in a statement.
He also says he requested support from the Nevada Division of Investigation Major Crimes, an agency specifically tasked with aiding rural law enforcement with complex investigations. He says they responded by telling him that they were short-staffed and asked MCSO deputies to collect evidence themselves.
Ferguson says he is now demanding answers on the following:
- Why does the Governor’s Office fail to address this crisis?
- Why is the NHP refusing to respond to violent crimes on state highways and shirking its fundamental responsibility to ensure public safety on state highways?
- Why is NDI Major Crimes unable to fulfill their responsibility to rural counties?
- What financial assistance will the State of Nevada provide to rural counties to compensate for the services the Nevada State Police fail to provide?
KOLO 8 News Now has reached out to Nevada State Police asking for a response to Ferguson but have not heard back.
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