LANSING — Two local troopers and a Northern Michigan MSP post were honored in a ceremony on Wednesday.
Trooper Keegan Taylor, MSP Houghton Lake Post, received the Bravery Award, Trooper Corey Hebner, MSP Gaylord Post, received the 2023 Colonel Etue Community Impact Award, and the Houghton Lake Post received the Community Policing Outstanding Achievement Award Honorable Mention.
Trooper Taylor’s award was in recognition of actions taken on Feb. 3, 2023.
Taylor and an MSP cadet responded to a drunk driver who was stuck in a ditch. When Taylor ordered the driver out of the car, he said the driver tried to pull out a gun.
Taylor attempted to stop the suspect, but said the driver able to unholster the gun, shouting “Shoot me or I’ll shoot you.”
MSP says Taylor made the tough decision to protect himself and the cadet, shooting and killing the suspect.
Trooper Hebner’s award was in recognition of years of service to the community.
Hebner, a 28-year veteran, is the Community Service Trooper for a five-county area. He’s an advisor on several boards aimed at keeping kids drug-free and a board member for the Northern Opioid Response Consortium.