Flags to be lowered Wednesday for slain Hillsdale County deputy

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered flags across Michigan to be lowered Wednesday to honor slain Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Deputy William Butler Jr.

Butler was shot while trying to arrest a suspect after a traffic stop last Thursday in Jefferson Township. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The married father of three was 51 years old.

“Deputy Butler was a proud family man, small business owner and dedicated officer who served both his nation and his neighbors in uniform,” Whitmer said in a statement. “As a Sheriff’s Deputy, he served Hillsdale County admirably, making a real difference in the lives of the people he loved most. As we mourn his loss, our hearts are with his wife, Sarah, their five children, their two grandchildren, and all those who knew and served with him in Hillsdale and overseas.”

Butler worked for the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years and previously served in the U.S. Army National Guard for two decades.

After an hours-long manhunt, police were able to track down and engage the suspect, 34-year-old Eric Michael Fiddler. Investigators say he once again shot at police officers who returned fire, hitting and killing him.

Fiddler was currently out on bond for a 2023 larceny charge. Court documents also show that Fiddler had pleaded guilty to three other misdemeanors since 2013, including drug possession and obstructing a police investigation.

As is tradition, at the beginning of the day flags should first be raised to full staff for a moment then lowered halfway down. That process is reversed at the end of the day.

Flags will return to full staff on Thursday.

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