Trooper Garrett Salters of the Michigan State Police (MSP) Hart Post has received the Bravery and Lifesaving awards for his heroic actions during a critical incident.
On August 17, 2025, Trooper Salters was dispatched to an incident where a victim was shot in the leg by a known assailant.
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 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 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 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 MSP Post noted that 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.
