ROCKFORD, Mich. — A Michigan State Police spokesperson could offer little new information the morning after the shooting death of MSP Trooper Paul Butterfield Monday night.
MSP Lt. Chris McIntire met reporters in front of the District 6 headquarters in Rockford, which serves also as the Rockford Post. The Hart Post, to which Trooper Butterfield was assigned, is part of District 6.
“This is the job we do,” said McIntire. “This is the risk we take.”
Trooper Butterfield was shot during a traffic stop in Mason County. He later died during emergency surgery. Suspects in the crime were apprehended two hours later, one of them wounded by an officer.
Lt. McIntire refused to identify the suspects. He also could not say why Butterfield made the stop in the first place. But information the trooper provided to dispatchers was critical. “He followed protocol,” said McIntire, and provided the license plate and description of the suspect vehicle.
After Trooper Butterfield was found at the scene of the shooting, he was conscious, said McIntire. When asked if he provided more information while he was still conscious, Lt. McIntire said he didn’t think so.
Troopers throughout the state will be wearing black mourning bands across their badges, said McIntire, who was already wearing a band on his badge.
When asked about the trooper’s family, McIntire said he didn’t want to speak for the family. He repeated what he had said to FOX 17 Monday night, that incidents like this affect everyone, officers, family, and the public.
