Michigan Sheriff's Deputy Dies After Being Shot During Pursuit

GALESBURG, Michigan — A Kalamazoo County deputy died Sunday after he was shot by a suspect during a pursuit Saturday evening, authorities say.

“It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that we announce Deputy Ryan Proxmire has succumbed to his injuries,” the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday in a news release. “Please keep Dep. Proxmire, his family and his law-enforcement family in your thoughts as we begin to grieve this tragic loss.”

The unidentified suspect later was shot and killed following a pursuit.

According to the sheriff’s department, deputies first tried to stop the suspect at a Shell gas station in Galesburg. The suspect reportedly had been involved in a chase with law enforcement earlier Saturday evening.

The suspect took out a handgun and pointed at deputies, the sheriff’s department says. He then got into his vehicle and sped off.

Kalamazoo deputies chased the vehicle as the suspect fired multiple rounds at them during the pursuit, authorities say. Proxmire was hit, causing his vehicle to go off the road. A passing motorist stopped and called 911. Proxmire was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Other deputies continued chasing the suspect, who lost control of his vehicle and left the road, driving off into a field becoming stuck. The suspect got out of his vehicle and again opened fire at deputies, authorities say. Deputies returned fire and the suspect died at the scene.

Proxmire was a member of the road patrol at the sheriff’s office, but also was a field training officer, Taser instructor, and a subject control/defensive tactics instructor. He also had worked in the county jail.

“Thank you everyone for the support that has been coming into the Sheriff’s Office for Ryan, his family and our deputies,” a release from the sheriff’s department says. “Deputy Proxmire, his family, and his brothers and sisters in law enforcement need your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this tragic situation.”

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