BARDSTOWN, Ky. — The shock of a tragedy that shook a small town in Nelson County still lingers for some residents who remember what happened a decade ago.
On May 25, 2013, Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis was shot and killed in an ambush while clearing debris from an exit ramp off the Bluegrass Parkway.
"It was kind of crazy," resident Caleb Canter said. "Bardstown's always been one of those beautiful small towns."
Resident Betty Keaton said she couldn't believe it happened.
"It was just a shock to even think anyone would do that," she said.
"I still drive that ramp every once and a while when I'm driving to work," Canter said. "Just driving through there, it's kinda an eerie feeling. It's kind of somber knowing what happened there."
Ten years later and Ellis' death remains unsolved with no answers for his loved ones or the community. For many of those years, a local bank has displayed a photo of Ellis with the caption "A Fallen Hero."
"I think it shows a lot of respect to him and shows the character that he was. I didn't know him as a person before, but I heard a lot about him since it all happened, obviously, but I think that it kinda speaks volumes to him and the community as a whole too, I think," Canter said.
Betty Keaton went to church with Ellis' wife, Amy. She said the young couple had so much love left to give to their children and to Bardstown.
"I'm just glad that they're not letting up," Keaton said. "This person needs to be caught. How are they ever going to have closure not knowing what happened? And you're thinking you just hope something like that doesn't happen again."
While some have moved away, and others are too young to know anything, those who do are glad Ellis' memory will live on.
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