On a Friday afternoon, February 5, 1993, a seasoned Indiana State Police officer, Master Trooper Michael Earl Greene, was on routine patrol along Interstate 65 in Marion County. The 43-year-old trooper, a man who had dedicated over 16 years of his life to law enforcement, pulled over to question two men he had observed urinating on the side of the highway.
It was a stop that would tragically be his last.
Upon checking their identification, Greene discovered that both men were wanted on outstanding warrants. As he moved to handcuff one of the individuals, the other man suddenly and fatally shot him. The attack was swift and left the trooper with little chance to defend himself. Master Trooper Greene was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his life could not be saved.
The investigation that followed led to the apprehension of two suspects. The man who fired the weapon was eventually convicted of murder and, in 1995, was sentenced to death for his crime. He would spend years on death row before ultimately dying in prison in 2007, awaiting his execution. The second man involved in the incident was convicted of assisting a criminal and received a four-year prison sentence. He has since been released from prison.
In the years following his death, Master Trooper Michael Greene's sacrifice has been honored in various ways. A portion of Interstate 65 in Marion County, the very highway where he lost his life, was designated as a Memorial Mile in his honor in 2008, a lasting tribute to a dedicated officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty.
