Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Deputy Shot And Killed

A Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Deputy was among law enforcement officers from several departments responding to a case of a vehicle wanted after eluding police Saturday.

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Deputy Ryan Proxmire was shot and killed in the confrontation that followed.  Proxmire, other Kalamazoo County Deputies, state troopers, and officers from other departments rushed to a Galesburg gas station just off I-94 when a vehicle and driver involved in a recent chase were located.

The unidentified driver pulled a weapon on deputies, got in his car, and fled the scene. Deputies and troopers were in pursuit. The man began firing at deputies in the lead, and Proxmire was hit. His patrol vehicle went off the road. Other Deputies continued the chase. The suspect driver ran off a road and into a field. He continued firing at deputies and troopers as he tried to run. But he was hit by return fire from Deputies and was killed.

While that was happening, a passing driver spotted Proxmire’s patrol vehicle off the road and stopped to help. That driver called 911 to give the location of where he found the Deputy.

Proxmire was gravely injured. Following hours of intensive care, he died of his wounds.  Deputy Proxmire was a highly regarded member of the Sheriff’s Department, involved in training new Deputies and occasionally filling in for command officers.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller and Undersheriff Jim VanDyken plan to hold a media briefing on the case later today.