BIRCH RUN, Mich. — A Michigan State Police Tri-City Post trooper died Wednesday evening after being struck during a traffic stop.
Trooper Joel Popp was conducting a traffic stop outside his vehicle on I-75 North near Birch Run Road around 7 p.m. when a driver hit two patrol cars and Popp.
He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries, police said.
The driver of the vehicle, an 81-year-old man, was seriously injured in the incident. Police say he is expected to survive.
Popp, 39, served with Michigan State Police since 2020. He is survived by his wife and young daughter.
“I ask that you please keep his family, fellow troopers and all whose lives he has touched in your thoughts,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP.
Police say Popp is the 56th Michigan State trooper to be killed in the line of duty.
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