3-year-old son was guard's joy

Verne Jenkins was extra excited about Christmas this year. Not for himself, but for his 3-year-old son, Kallen Tinsen-Jenkins.

Jenkins helped his son leave cookies and milk on the table for Santa Claus.

"He got up during the night, ate the cookies and dumped the milk down the sink. He left a note that said, 'Thanks for the cookies, Kallen. I hope you enjoy your gifts. Santa.' He was so excited about that note," said Stephanie North-Jenkins, Verne's wife and Kallen's stepmother.

"That little boy was his whole world," North-Jenkins said. "He was probably the most giving person ever. He would help everybody."

Family members say that event was typical of Verne Jenkins, a security guard at the Sapp Brothers truck stop who was shot and killed Wednesday by a man who tried to shoplift a pack of gum.

Roger Malcolm, 51, remained Thursday in the Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held without bail for investigation of aggravated murder in the death of the 31-year-old Jenkins.

Police said Malcolm was a regular at Sapp Brothers at 1953 W. California Avenue. He complained of waiting too long to buy a pack of gum and became belligerent.

Nora Jenkins, Verne's mother, said Thursday that she was told Malcolm decided he didn't want to wait any longer and walked out. Verne Jenkins, who was armed only with a Taser and who did not own a bulletproof vest, went to confront Malcolm and was shot twice in the neck.

Family members say the sad part is that Verne Jenkins was the type of person who would probably have bought the gum for the man if he didn't have the money.

"I didn't think it would ever end like this," Nora Jenkins said.

Thursday night, family members gathered at the house of Verne's parents, Nora and Vernell Jenkins, to console each other and look through old pictures.

In addition to being a dedicated father, family members say Verne Jenkins took his job seriously.

"He took pride in his work and he did it very well. You wouldn't see him cut any corners. Maybe this time he should have," Vernell Jenkins said.

All his life, Verne wanted to get into law enforcement, his mother said. When his family lived in Chicago, he participated in a junior program with the Cook County Sheriff's Office. His family moved to Utah in 1993 to "get away from gangs" and violence, said Nora Jenkins as she shook her head at the irony of the situation.