Trooper Garrett Salters (at right) receives the awards from MSP Director Col. James Grady.
HART — Michigan State Police Trooper Garrett Salters of the Hart post received the bravery and lifesaving awards for his heroic actions during an 11-hour-long standoff with an active shooter in Silver Lake last August.
Trooper Salters was presented the awards by MSP Director Col. James Grady at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing.
“On Aug. 17, 2025, Trooper Salters was dispatched to an incident where a victim was shot in the leg by a known assailant,” states a press release from MSP. “The victim was in a heavily wooded area on the suspect’s property, and the suspect was at large.
“Upon arrival, Trooper Salters and a local deputy, Brandon Neinhuis of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office, navigated their way towards the victim, all the while the suspect’s location was still unknown.
“Trooper Salters was anticipating an ambush due to the extensive history between the suspect and law enforcement personnel. Upon making contact with the victim, Trooper Salters and the deputy recognized the urgency to evacuate the victim to a safe location to provide lifesaving measures as the victim was bleeding significantly from his lower leg.
“Trooper Salters and the deputy began dragging the immobile victim through the woods. A second deputy, Dale Thompson, arrived on scene and began assisting with dragging the victim to safety. After dragging the victim for approximately 40 yards, Trooper Salters made it back to his patrol vehicle to take cover with the victim. A deputy (Thompson) applied a tourniquet to the victim’s leg, then the victim was immediately loaded into the deputy’s patrol vehicle and taken off site to meet EMS at a staged location.
“Trooper Salters put himself in harm’s way by running towards an unknown threat to rescue a shooting victim and render necessary first aid to save a life. The bravery and quick response demonstrated by Trooper Salters and the responding deputies undoubtedly prevented additional injuries from occurring as the suspect fled into a nearby pole barn carrying a long gun and resulted in an 11-hour standoff.”
The standoff ended when the shooter, 59-year-old Don Albert Stapel, Jr., was shot dead by an officer.
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