Roll of Honor

Prev Next

Trooper

Paul Kenyon Butterfield II

MI State Police — Lansing, MI

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch September 9, 2013

Age 43

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

Badge 1190

The Vigil Panel 162 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 56

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: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Paul. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Paul is one person.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

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

Department MI State Police

Type State Police

Location Lansing, MI

Platform Identity msp.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 9, 2013

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

Age 43

Badge Number 1190

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Military Service

Paul Kenyon Butterfield II served in the U.S. Army (1993â1996) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Trooper Paul Kenyon Butterfield II is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 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 59.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

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.

MI State Police

of 57 officers

47.4% Felonious

MI — Statewide

426

of 718 officers

59.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious