KERMIT J FITZPATRICK – CLASS OF 1982
KERMIT J FITZPATRICK – CLASS OF 1982
Fitzpatrick, Kermit J of Highland Park, Michigan
1961 – 1991
Kermit Fitzpatrick was a State Trooper in Michigan. He died in the line of duty at age 30. Trooper Fitzpatrick was making a traffic stop on Jeffries Freeway in Detroit, Michigan. As he approached the vehicle, the driver produced a .22 caliber handgun and fired six times. The Trooper was struck in the Jaw, the Leg, and twice in the chest. Two additional shots were stopped by his Bullet-Proof Vest. The suspect was apprehended and sentenced to Life in Prison, in Solitary Confinement and at Hard Labor, with no chance of parole. Trooper Fitzpatrick was survived by his wife.
Michigan State Police Trooper Kermit Fitzpatrick January 29, 1961 - July 7, 1991
Trooper Kermit Fitzpatrick was shot to death during a traffic stop on the Jeffries Freeway in Detroit. At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 7, 1991, Trooper Fitzpatrick stopped a 1982 Blue Ford Mustang for a routine traffic violation on the west bound Jeffries Freeway (I-96) near Joy Road in Detroit. After using his cars PA system to direct the Mustang’s driver to a safe position on the freeway shoulder, Trooper Fitzpatrick left his patrol car and approached the driver to make contact.
As Trooper Fitzpatrick took a position standing just behind the driver’s door, the driver raised a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol and fired six (6) rapid shots. One shot hit Trooper Fitzpatrick’s jaw, two bullets entered his left upper chest, and one hit his right leg above the knee. His bullet-proof vest stopped the other two shots.
The suspect fled the scene, and passers-by attended to Trooper Fitzpatrick. Detroit police officers transported him to Henry Ford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:53 a.m.
The Detroit police Homicide Squad, assisted by State Police detectives, quickly developed a suspect—Steven Darius McGuire, age 20, of Royal Oak, Michigan. Investigators learned that McGuire had taken the Mustang from his mother without permission, and that he had stolen the .22 pistol and other guns when he burglarized a neighbor’s house.
After the shooting, McGuire drove to Hillsdale County, where he abandoned the Mustang and stole another car at gunpoint. He then drove to Napolean, Ohio, where he ran out of gas. After a motorist picked him up hitchhiking, McGuire tried to rob him, and fired several shots during a scuffle inside the car. Both men then ran from the car. Henry County sheriff’s deputies arrested McGuire in a nearby field soon after this incident.
Their department also obtained a confession from McGuire regarding the murder of Trooper Fitzpatrick and recovered the murder weapon. McGuire eventually waived extradition proceedings in Ohio and was transferred to the Wayne County Jail in Detroit. McGuire was convicted on counts of First Degree Murder and Felony Firearms violations in Wayne County Circuit Court in December 1991. He was sentenced to life in prison in solitary confinement and at hard labor with no possibility of parole by Judge Leonard Townsend on January 6, 1992.