Procession up Carson Street; funeral Thursday for deputy

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is receiving support from all across Nevada in the wake of a deputy shooting.

The funeral for Deputy Carl Howell will include a multi-agency processional from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office to the Reno Events Center before the service Thursday. Howell was killed Saturday while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

The funeral service for Howell is 11 a.m. Thursday at the Reno Events Center, 400 North Center St. The public is invited.

The processional will begin at the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, 911 E. Musser St., at 9:30 a.m. where it will be open to the public, pass the Capitol and continue onto Reno from North Carson Street.

Lyon County Sheriff Al McNeil said his county will provide about 20 deputies to join Carson City with the processional. There also will be officers in the processional from Fallon and Douglas County.

The Nevada Highway Patrol will not be in the processional, though it will be unsure if any officers will be able to attend because officers who would normally have today off will be working. said NHP public information officer Duncan Dauber. He said the department will have a lot of officers working in Carson and Reno during that time.

Dauber does believe there will be state troopers from all over the country coming in to attend the funeral service, including nearly 100 from California.

The shooting happened Saturday when a male suspect, 30-year-old Jonathon Pope, fired a gun at officers and hit Howell multiple times. Howell returned fire, killing Pope on scene. The deputy was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.

It hasn’t been determined whether Pope fired from inside the house or not, investigators said. Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said Howell was wearing a bulletproof vest, as protocol for all officers. Furlong said all vests worn by the officers are replaced regularly and the department monitors their quality. An autopsy was performed Tuesday and results were expected next week, however the investigation into the shooting by the Reno Police Department could take six months to a year to complete.

Pope had a previous police record in which he was a suspect in a harassment report as recently as July 7, 2015. He also was a suspect in a child abuse report on July 1, 2014, and was arrested for suspicion of possession of a firearm while intoxicated on Dec. 20, 2013, according a Freedom Of Information Act request from the Nevada Appeal to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.

Motorists can expect delays on northbound I-580 between Carson City and Reno with all northbound ramps being closed as the procession passes. The same will occur at I-80 West heading into Reno, with traffic being stopped between Rock Boulevard and I-580 for the processional to make its way to Center Street West ramp.

The ramp closures are expected to be short, however, officials advise travelers to use surface streets or alternate routes.

There’s also a large amount of traffic expected around the Events Center and officials are encouraging the public to use available downtown parking.

Because several hundred people are expected to be attending, parking around the Events Center is going to be limited at the National Bowling Stadium. Officials said the general public should use surrounding parking garages in the area.

In Reno, there also will be numerous street closures around the downtown area beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday including: N. Virginia Street from 6th to 4th streets, Virginia Street south of the intersection from 4th to 2nd streets, 5th Street, Plaza, and Commercial east of Virginia to Center streets.

Center Street in Reno will remain open with the exception of the northbound lane on the east side of the street, and 4th Street in Reno will remain open for citizens to travel west and east.

Howell started with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office on March 13, 2006. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was assigned with the CCSO to Court Services. He was on temporary assignment to Operations Patrol Division.

Howell, a Lyon County resident, is survived by his wife, Rachel, and their four children ages 7-12.

Multiple organizations are collecting donations to support Howell’s family. To donate to the Lyon County’s GoFundMe visit http://www.gofundme.com/e6232gyw.

The Carson City Deputy Sheriff’s Association has also set up a donation account at the Heritage Bank of Nevada, called the Carl Howell Memorial Fund, account number 2000012522.