Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Paul Butterfield was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Custer Road, near Townline Road, in Mason County, at approximately 6:20 pm.
A few minutes after radioing in the stop, a citizen called 911 to report a trooper had been shot. Responding units located Trooper Butterfield on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was flown to Munson Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds while in surgery.
Using a vehicle description provided by Trooper Butterfield as he stopped the vehicle, investigators were able to identify a suspect and located him, along with a female accomplice, at a convenience store in a neighboring county approximately two hours later. Officers exchanged gunfire with him as they made contact, wounding the male subject before taking them both into custody.
The subject who shot Trooper Butterfield was convicted of first-degree murder in February 2014 and faced a sentence of life without parole. After sentencing, he was transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections, where he attempted suicide by hanging himself with his bed sheets. He was found unresponsive in his cell and transferred to a local hospital, where he was declared brain dead and died three days later. The female accomplice was convicted of accessory after the fact and sentenced to two to five years.
Trooper Butterfield was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Michigan State Police for 14 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his fiancee, father, and stepmother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-2275344A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Butterfield gave the Michigan State Police 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Michigan. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Paul Kenyon Butterfield, II served in the Army (1993â1996) before joining law enforcement.
Trooper Paul Kenyon Butterfield, II is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 426 of 718 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59.3% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At MI State Police, 27 of 57 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Paul Kenyon Butterfield, II's cause is highlighted.
How Paul Kenyon Butterfield, II Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed suicide
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Paul Kenyon Butterfield, II is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Paul Kenyon Butterfield, II was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
56 officers from MI State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
