Kermit Fitzpatrick

Kermit Fitzpatrick, a 30-year-old Black man, was a United States Army veteran who had served as a military police officer before joining the Michigan State Police. In his four years with the department, he had earned a reputation as a dedicated and respected trooper. He was married and a member of the 101st Trooper Recruit School. Trooper Fitzpatrick was the 41st Michigan State Police officer to be killed in the line of duty.

On the morning of Sunday, July 7, 1991, Trooper Fitzpatrick was on patrol in Detroit. At approximately 8:30 a.m., he initiated a traffic stop of a 1982 Ford Mustang for a routine violation on the westbound Jeffries Freeway (I-96) near Joy Road. After directing the driver to pull over to the shoulder using his patrol car's public address system, Trooper Fitzpatrick exited his vehicle and approached the Mustang. As he stood near the driver's door, the driver, without warning, raised a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol and fired six shots in rapid succession.

Trooper Fitzpatrick was struck in the jaw, left upper chest, and right leg. His bulletproof vest absorbed two of the rounds, but the other four caused critical injuries. The shooter immediately fled the scene in the Mustang, leaving the wounded trooper on the side of the freeway. Several passersby stopped to render aid until Detroit police officers arrived and rushed him to Henry Ford Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Trooper Kermit Fitzpatrick was pronounced dead at 8:53 a.m.

The investigation, a joint effort between the Detroit Police Homicide Squad and Michigan State Police detectives, moved swiftly. They quickly identified 20-year-old Steven Darius McGuire of Royal Oak as the primary suspect. Investigators discovered that McGuire was driving his mother's car without her permission and was armed with a .22 pistol and other firearms he had stolen during a recent burglary of a neighbor's home. The motive for the shooting was not publicly detailed, but it set off a desperate, multi-state flight from the law.

After killing Trooper Fitzpatrick, McGuire drove to Hillsdale County, where he abandoned the Ford Mustang. He then stole another vehicle at gunpoint and continued his escape, driving south into Ohio. His run ended near Napoleon, Ohio, when the stolen car ran out of gas. A passing motorist picked him up as he was hitchhiking, and McGuire attempted to rob this good Samaritan, firing his weapon during a struggle inside the car. Both men scrambled out of the vehicle and ran.

Henry County sheriff's deputies in Ohio soon located and arrested McGuire in a nearby field. During questioning, McGuire confessed to the murder of Trooper Fitzpatrick. The .22 caliber pistol used in the killing was also recovered by the deputies. McGuire waived extradition and was returned to Detroit to face charges for his crimes.

In December 1991, a Wayne County Circuit Court jury found Steven Darius McGuire guilty of first-degree murder and felony firearms violations. On January 6, 1992, Judge Leonard Townsend sentenced him to a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence also stipulated solitary confinement and hard labor. The case is considered solved and closed, with the perpetrator serving his life sentence as of January 1992.