Deputy fatally shot during traffic stop identified as Iraq war veteran and father of three

HILLSDALE COUNTY, MI – Police have identified the Michigan State Sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed while on duty in Hillsdale County.

Deputy William Henry Butler Jr., 51, died Thursday, June 27. Butler served with the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years. He was an Iraq War veteran and father of three children, police said.

On Friday, June 28, Butler’s patrol car was decorated with blue-wrapped flowers outside the sheriff’s office. A speech bubble on the front of the vehicle read “I love you” and his picture was emblazoned on the dashboard.

According to Michigan State Police, Eric Michael Fiddler shot Butler during a traffic stop at 2:15 p.m. in the area of ​​Beecher and Lamb Roads near Osseo, 12 miles southeast of Hillsdale in Jefferson Township.

The driver of the vehicle, a 33-year-old man, was arrested on a warrant by a detective who initiated the traffic stop. Butler arrived at the scene to assist the officer, police said.

Fiddler, who was still in the vehicle, refused to give his name and struggled with officers attempting to remove him from the vehicle, police said. Fiddler pulled out a handgun hidden in his waistband and shot Butler before running away as officers returned fire, police said.

The detective sergeant grabbed Butler and took him to the local hospital, but according to state police, he succumbed to his injuries.

Fiddler, 34, was found hours later, at about 6:15 p.m., in a field several miles northwest of the traffic stop, near the intersection of Culbert and Osseo roads, and killed in a shootout with officers, police said.

Fiddler was ordered to surrender, but he pulled out a gun and fired at Michigan State Police officers. Officers returned fire and Fiddler died at the scene, police said.

No soldiers were injured in the shooting in a rural area of ​​the county, where houses are separated by forests and large areas of fields.

Related: Deputy sheriff and suspect in Michigan die in rural shooting

Butler is the first Hillsdale County Sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty since Undersheriff Harland O. Wood, who died in 1930. Deputy Nelson R. Cook was killed in 1903, according to a stone monument outside the office. No other names are listed.

This is the second fatal police shooting in Michigan in a week. Another officer, Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley J. Reckling, was killed in the line of duty while pursuing a stolen vehicle.

Related: Sheriff says deputy killed in line of duty was ambushed while pursuing stolen car

Law enforcement agencies from across the state have expressed their condolences to the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office.

“Please don’t worry. We are monitoring the situation from here,” the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.

“These tragedies remind us of the risks police face every day,” the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook. “We stand with our brothers and sisters in law enforcement and extend our deepest condolences to the families and professionals of both deputies.”

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, far north of Hillsdale County, is also mourning the loss. “Our thoughts and prayers are with another Michigan police family. A rough week,” wrote Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson.

According to court records, Fiddler had a previous criminal history, including an open theft charge and several older cases dating back to 2018 for resisting prosecution and drug use.

He was also charged with weapons possession in one of the 2018 cases, but records show that charge was dropped when he pleaded guilty.

The state police investigation is ongoing.

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