KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo Sheriff Richard Fuller says his department is in mourning following the weekend shooting death of Deputy Ryan Proxmire, but they are receiving a lot of support.
Proxmire was shot and killed by a fleeing suspect over the weekend during a rolling gunfight across eastern Kalamazoo County.
The suspect was shot and killed at the end of that chase.
The probe into the shooting deaths will be conducted by the Michigan State Police.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Proxmire
At a Monday afternoon news conference, Fuller said he could not release any information about the motives of the suspect, nor did he provide any additional details.
“I don’t know a good word for a person that does what’s happened here this week,” Fuller said. “My one thing that I will end my time with is that I will never repeat those names.”
He says the officers involved in the gunfight will be off-duty until the standard shooting review is completed.
In fact, Fuller says all road patrols for the County are being covered by other agencies while the department recovers.
No one else was injured from the gunfire coming from the suspect as he fled deputies late Saturday night.
Proxmire was wounded during the chase and his patrol vehicle went off the road. He was then found by a passerby who called for help.
Sheriff Fuller says he has not met that citizen to thank them, but he intends to.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s office says the death of Deputy Ryan Proxmire is only the second in the history of their department where a member died in the line of duty. The other one happened over 160 years ago.
In December 1857, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Benjamin Franklin Orcutt was killed by gunfire.
Additionally, Officer Eric Zapata with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) was shot and killed in April 2011.
Condolences –
Various state and local officials are continuing to issue condolences regarding this incident.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senator Sean McCann and State Rep Julie Rogers all sent messages to the family, as did Congressman Fred Upton and Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson, among others.
Kalamazoo County Board Chair Tracy Hall was at the Monday news conference.
“These kind of things happen all over, but what makes Kalamazoo special is the way we come together, and we have seen that time and time again,” Hall said. “We’ve seen that when Officer [Eric] Zapata was killed, we saw it with PFAS in Parchment, COVID, the bike tragedy and Uber shootings. We always come together.”
Hall added that she hopes this incident gives impetus to a joint effort to fight gun violence in the County, an effort that is just getting underway.
She says a larger community memorial service is being planned, but they are still working on the details.
Deputy Proxmire was a 1999 graduate of Three Rivers High School. He is survived by his wife and four children.
Suspect Information –
On Monday afternoon, the Michigan State Police (MSP) identified 35-year-old Kyle Goidosik of Vicksburg as the deceased suspect in this case.
More information can be found by clicking here.
— John McNeil contributed to this reporting. —
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