Butterfield pulled over a vehicle on Custer Road in Mason County at around 6:20 p.m. Several minutes later, a motorist called 911 to report that the trooper was on the side of the road with a head wound. He died during emergency surgery.
Butterfield, a 14-year veteran of the
Michigan State Police
, was assigned to the Hart Post (No. 62). Gov. Rick Snyder called the trooper's death a "tragic event" for Michigan.
"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," Gov. Snyder said in a statement. "They are heroes. 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."