Sergeant Ryan Joseph Proxmire

Ryan Joseph Proxmire

Sergeant Ryan Proxmire succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous night while involved in a vehicle pursuit.

A subject who had evaded officers in an earlier vehicle pursuit was spotted at a gas station on 35th Street near Galesburg. As deputies approached him, the man produced a gun and fled in his vehicle, prompting a second pursuit. During the second pursuit, the subject started shooting at the pursuing deputies. One of the rounds struck Sergeant Proxmire, causing his vehicle to leave the roadway near the intersection of MN Avenue and 38th Street in Charleston Township.

Unaware that Sergeant Proxmire had been wounded, the other deputies continued the pursuit for another 4-1/2 miles until the subject's vehicle became stuck in a field. The man exited his vehicle and shot at the deputies again, who returned fire and killed him.

A passing motorist encountered Sergeant Proxmire's vehicle and called 911. He was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wound the following day.

Sergeant Proxmire had served with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office for nine years. He is survived by his wife, four children, and parents.

Sergeant Proxmire was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

A stretch of U.S. 131 between Schoolcraft and Kalamazoo will now be known as the Sergeant Ryan J. Proxmire Memorial Highway.