State Trooper Shot: Paul Butterfield Helped Lead Fellow Officers To The Suspect In His Fatal Shooting
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder ordered that flags around the state be flown at half-staff following Monday’s shooting death of state trooper Paul Butterfield. Suspects Eric Knysz, 19, and his wife Sarah, 21, were taken into custody after a second shootout outside of a gas station 15 miles from the fatal traffic stop, the Associated Press reported.
Sarah Knysz, who is six months pregnant with the couple’s first child, was said to be in the car at the time of the shooting. Eric Knysz required medical attention at a nearby hospital due to a gunshot he sustained during the second shootout with officers.
“This senseless incident is a grim reminder that our brave public safety officers put their lives on the line every day when they go to work protecting Michiganders. They are heroes,” Gov. Snyder said in a statement. “Our hearts break when a Michigan State Police trooper, or any of our other police officers or firefighters, is killed in the line of duty. Their loss is unquestionably felt by their families as well as the communities they serve and our entire state. We realize the extraordinary difficulty of their jobs and the sacrifices they make for us.”
Shortly after he was shot in the head, Butterfield was able to reach dispatch and report the vehicle information and location of the shooting. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army veteran was unable to pull through emergency surgery and died at nearby Munson Hospital.
"When I arrived I saw Paul, I stayed with him, I sat with him in the ambulance and tried to encourage him," Mason County Sherriff Kim Cole told Fox 17. "I know he would have done that for me and he'd done it for any of our guys."
Jack Knysz, the suspected shooter’s father, stayed at the scene for 12 hours to help authorities and hopefully clear his son’s name. Jack, who is a former police officer himself as well as a Vietnam veteran, told officers that his son had borrowed his truck that morning for a trip to the doctors, but stopped along the way to look at a car. It was believed to be the same car that police found both suspects in immediately after the shooting.
"Supposedly, he went to buy a car and they reported it stolen," Jack told Fox 17. “Being a police officer I know how they feel and it’s just the worst day of your life. Our family and our hearts and our prayers go out now to him and his family.”