A 39-year-old Michigan State Trooper was killed while conducting a traffic stop on I-75 Wednesday evening.
“This is a message none of us wishes to deliver,” Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP, said in a press release. “With a very heavy heart I confirm the death of one of our own, Tpr. Joel Popp. “I ask that you please keep his family, fellow troopers and all whose lives he has touched in your thoughts.”
Trooper Popp of the Tri-City Post was investigating a suspected impaired driver that had pulled over and stopped in the fast lane under and overpass near Birch Run
Soon after, an 81-year-old motorist hit Popp, who was outside his vehicle inspecting the scene. Popp was transported to the Hurley Medical Center where he passed away from injuries sustained from the crash. According to a release from the State Police, the motorist was seriously injured, but is expected to survive.
Popp enlisted in the State Police in 2020 and graduated in the 137th Trooper Recruiting School. He served in the Tri-City post his entire career.
"Trooper Popp was a dedicated public servant who had a bright smile every time I had contact with him, and we are saddened by his loss,” said Lt. Kim Vetter, a public information officer with the State Police.
The State Police is reminding drivers that not moving over and slowing down for first responders whose lights are flashing is against the law. Motorists who fatally hit a first responder could face up to 15 years in prison.
"We ask this for our safety and for yours,” Vetter said on a phone call with WCMU. “We don't want anybody to be injured, and we want everybody to get home safely to their families."
This is the second State Trooper in the last two weeks to be struck by a motorist while conducting a traffic stop.
