Second deputy shot and killed in Michigan this week – What we know

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, Michigan. – A sheriff's deputy was shot and killed Thursday, June 27, during a traffic stop in south-central Michigan, the second deputy in the state to be killed in the line of duty in less than a week .

The shooting happened just after 2:15 p.m. in Jefferson Township, a Hillsdale County community about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the Ohio border and about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Jackson. Authorities said a Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle after recognizing the driver had active warrants for his arrest. A second deputy — identified as William Henry Butler Jr. — arrived on the scene to provide backup. After the driver was arrested and placed in a patrol vehicle, Butler attempted to arrest the passenger, identified as Eric Michael Fiddler. Police said Fiddler pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Butler before fleeing the scene.

The deputy sergeant took Butler to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries. He was 51 years old.

After a four-hour manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies, police dogs and aerial teams, police located Fiddler in a field about two miles from the initial scene.

Michigan State Police said they ordered Fiddler to surrender, but he instead shot at the officers, who returned fire. Fiddler died on the spot.

The Michigan State Police Fifth District — which covers Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties — is investigating the shooting that killed Fiddler, while the Michigan State Police First District is investigating the shooting that killed Butler.

Michigan State Police said Butler worked for the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and was a veteran of the Iraq War. He is survived by a wife and three children.

Butler is the second deputy sheriff killed in the line of duty in Michigan in a week. Five days earlier, on Saturday, June 22, Oakland County Deputy Sheriff Bradley Reckling was fatally shot. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and three children.

Three people linked to Reckling's death have been taken into custody.