LENOIR CITY, Tenn. — It's been just over a week since Loudon County Sgt. Chris Jenkins died in the line of duty. Since then, the community's outpouring of love and support has continued to grow.
Saturday morning, a group of Jeep riders held a memorial ride honoring the fallen hero. More than 200 people came out to show their support for the memorial ride and take part in it. They started the ride from Two Rivers Church in Lenoir City and finished it at the Loudon County Justice Center.
Each jeep had a thin-blue-lined flag to pay final respects for fallen Sgt. Chris Jenkins.
"He's done his part, so it's good for the Jeep community to do our part to honor him," said Benji Myers, an event organizer.
The memorial ride's organizers wanted to leave one last tribute to honor the man who died serving his community.
"As soon as we heard about the loss of Sgt. Jenkins, we just felt we needed to do our part," said Sonja Ritter, an event organizer.
Whether community members knew Jenkins or not, they still wanted to come together to pay their respects.
"He was still a brother in blue, so it is emotional to see this and see everybody out here to give back and support him," said Brianna Truslow, a former Loudon County Sheriff's Deputy.
Truslow said she wanted to give back to Jenkins. He was a part of a family that gave so much to her.
"The sheriff's department opened their arms to me and made me feel like I was a family and they gave me that family I didn't have," Truslow said.
Ritter said she was speechless with the number of people that showed up to support Sgt. Jenkins.
"It just hits deep, you know," Ritter said.
The group also held a fundraiser. The money will go toward Jenkins' family and the Loudon County Sheriff's Office.