On the morning of July 7, 1991, Michigan State Trooper Kermit Fitzpatrick, 30, was killed during a traffic stop on the Jeffries Freeway in Detroit. At about 8:30 a.m. Trooper Fitzpatrick stopped a Ford Mustang near Joy Road. As he approached the vehicle, the driver, identified as 20-year-old Steven Darius McGuire, opened fire with a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Fitzpatrick was struck multiple times in the jaw, chest, and leg; his vest stopped two of the six rounds. He was taken to Henry Ford Hospital but was pronounced dead at 8:53 a.m.

Detroit police and State Police detectives identified McGuire as the suspect. Investigators say he had taken his mother’s car without permission and was carrying firearms stolen from a neighbor. After the shooting he fled, abandoned the Mustang in Hillsdale County, carjacked another vehicle and traveled to Napoleon, Ohio. Apprehension followed after the stolen car ran out of gas; McGuire was captured in a field by Henry County deputies, confessed, and the alleged murder weapon was recovered.

Anyone who knew Trooper Fitzpatrick, saw the traffic stop that morning, or has information about the events leading up to the shooting is asked to come forward.