Michigan State Police troopers will not be facing charges following the shooting death of a suspect in an officer-involved incident last year, as announced by the Michigan Attorney General's office. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Eric Michael Fiddler from Jonesville, was involved in the fatal shooting of Hillsdale County Sheriff's Deputy William Butler during a traffic stop on June 27, 2024. WWMT reported that after an exhaustive review, officials concluded the troopers acted within the scope of self-defense.
The incident, occurring near Beecher and Lamb roads in Jefferson Township, resulted in Deputy Butler, a 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office, succumbing to gunshot wounds after attempting to assist another deputy with a traffic stop. Running from the scene, Fiddler was later tracked to a shed by six troopers, as detailed by CBS News Detroit. Despite issuing commands for Fiddler to surrender, a confrontation ensued, in which Fiddler fired a shot at the officers, leading to the troopers returning fire and fatally wounding him.
In defense of the troopers, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated, "Under all the facts and circumstances known to troopers on this date, they were justified in their use of deadly self-defense." This was echoed in an official statement found by The Detroit News, which relayed the AG's conclusion that no criminal charges would be substantiated against the troopers involved.
Medics, who were called to the scene after Fiddler had been shot, found him deceased with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head, holding a 9mm pistol, with a spent cartridge case near his body. Per WWMT, an autopsy also revealed an "extremely high" level of methamphetamines in Fiddler's blood. As a backdrop to this tragic end, Butler's death marked the third fatal shooting of a law enforcement officer in Michigan for the year 2024, making it the first time since 2016 that the state saw such a number of officers gunned down, noted The Detroit News.
The Michigan State Police have upheld that their policy dictates all officer-involved shootings be investigated, which was the protocol followed in this case before submitting it to the AG's office, CBS News Detroit added. This particular incident finished its course with an outcome that leaves a community seeking solace and understanding, and law enforcement officers absolved of wrongdoing, yet under the continued scrutiny of the public they are sworn to protect.
