Trooper Justin Cope, right, receives the Michigan State Police Bravery Award and Blue Diamond Award.
FOX 2 - Michigan State Police honored one of its own, as a Metro South trooper received a pair of awards for his bravery after being shot three times during an arrest.
The backstory:
The incident began for Trooper Justin Cope with a traffic stop on the Lodge freeway on May 16, 2025.
Inside the vehicle he pulled over, was a suspect with a gun. The man struggled with Cope and shot him three times at point-blank range.
Cope was hit twice in his ballistic vest and once in the shoulder.
"Despite his injuries, Trooper Cope fought through the pain, gained control of the situation, and stopped the threat," said a post on the MSP 2nd He then calmly notified dispatch that he had been shot, advised the suspect was down, and requested EMS, demonstrating remarkable composure under the most extreme circumstances."
Cope, from the Taylor MSP post, received with Police Bravery and Blue Diamond awards on Wednesday in recognition of his extraordinary courage and resilience during a critical incident.
"Congratulations to Trooper Cope on this well-deserved recognition," the post on X said. We are proud to have him serving the citizens of Michigan from the Metro South Post."
The Source: Information for this report is from the MSP Second District account on X, formerly Twiitter.