Michigan State Police, Michigan
End of Watch: Saturday, May 6, 2000
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Date of Incident: May 6, 2000
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Injured in accident
Trooper Rick Johnson was killed after being struck by a vehicle during a traffic stop on I-94 in Van Buren County, Michigan.
The trooper had approached the stopped vehicle on the passenger side and was returning to his Chevy Tahoe cruiser when a third vehicle ran off of the roadway and rear-ended his vehicle right as he was walking in between it and the vehicle he had stopped. He was momentarily pinned between the two vehicles before the Tahoe spun into the travel lanes, trapping him underneath.
Trooper Johnson was flown to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the vehicle which struck him received minor injuries in the crash.
On the day before the incident, Trooper Johnson had convinced a suicidal man not to jump off of an overpass near the site of the accident.
Trooper Johnson had served with the Michigan State Police for five years. He is survived by his wife and young children.