The Michigan State Police detective who was shot Wednesday near Union City remained in serious but stable condition Friday at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo.
Detective Sgt. Aaron Steensma was continuing to be treated on Jan. 26, for a gunshot wound he sustained in the upper left portion of his chest, near his collarbone.
First Lt. Dale Hinz said Steensma is on the road to what is expected to be a gradual recuperation process.
Steensma and another MSP trooper were trying to execute a search warrant at a farmhouse in the 500 block of Francisco Road, south of Union City, on the morning of Jan. 24, when police say the homeowner produced a rifle and the officers were forced to take cover.
(The family of a Michigan State Police detective shot while executing a search warrant Wednesday says he is recovering from the “horrifying incident.” Courtesy of WOOD TV8 and YouTube. Posted on Jan 25, 2018)
They exchanged gunfire with the homeowner as he existed the house and fled into a field.
That man, who has been identified as David Kidney, 62, was later found in the field in that rural area of northern Branch County.
An autopsy indicated he died of a single wound from the exchange of gunfire, police say.
Hinz said that during the exchange, MSP Trooper Daniel Thayer was shot once in the chest but a bullet-proof vest prevented that from causing serious harm.
The 21-year veteran of police work sustained a minor shrapnel wound to one of his hands and did not require hospital treatment.
He is on paid leave while the shooting incident is being investigated, Hinz said.
Steensma, who has been with MSP for 19 years, is lead detective in the investigation of the May 2009 homicide of Duane Finney, 62, of Coldwater.
(Police are seeking tips on the cold case murder of a 62-year-old man in Coldwater. Courtesy of WOOD TV8 and YouTube. Posted on Mar 6, 2017)
Finney was found dead behind of the wheel of his car.
He had been shot.
Finney was a neighbor of David Kidney in Coldwater. And Kidney was considered a person of interest in the investigation of that killing.
It was considered a “cold” case that the Michigan State Police and Branch County Sheriff’s Office reopened in early 2017.
Officers said Steensma and Thayer went to Kidney’s farmhouse on Wednesday to search for a gun registered to Kidney as well as a DNA sample.
They say they do not know what led Kidney to open fire on the officers.
Original post http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2018/01/detective_shot_while_serving_w.html
Editor’s Note: Our thoughts and prayers are with the Detective Steensma and his family as they continue recovering from their injuries.
