UPDATE: Murder charge against man accused of running down Lansing, MI Firefighter Dennis Rodeman at MDA boot drive
Lansing firefighter Dennis Rodeman died from injuries he got when he was hit by a truck while collecting for a charity at the corner of Jolly Road and Cedar Street on Wednesday afternoon. Lansing police tell wilx.com Rodeman had some sort of confrontation with a man in a white Chevy S-10 pickup. The truck drove off then circled back and hit Rodeman. A 22-year-old suspect is being held on charges of leaving the scene and fleeing & eluding.
Rodeman was 35-years-old and was a seven-year veteran of the Lansing Fire Department. He was collecting donations for a “Fill the Boot” fundraiser for muscular dystrophy.
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Ken Palmer & Matt Mencarini, Lansing State Journal:
Rodeman, 35, was a seven-year veteran of the Lansing Fire Department. He was married two months ago and expecting his first child.
The suspect — a 22-year-old Lansing man — drove away from the scene and was caught near the intersection of Holmes and Waverly roads after a car and foot chase, police said. Lansing police originally said the man was 32.
Police said there was a verbal exchange between the suspect and Rodeman moments before the incident.
Lansing Police Department Capt. Jim Kraus said there was some type of traffic altercation before the firefighter was struck. Kraus said the driver “was upset for whatever reason,” and that a preliminary investigation shows “he deliberately hit the firefighter.”
Tionna Davis told the Lansing State Journal that she was driving in the area and saw the pickup swerve from one lane to another before Rodeman was struck.
“He literally tried to hit him,” she said.
Statement from Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero:
On behalf of the Lansing Fire Department and the City of Lansing, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Fire Fighter Dennis Rodeman, a seven-year veteran of LFD, who was struck this afternoon by a hit-and-run driver in a senseless, unthinkable tragedy that has left all of us in a state of shock. We join the men and women of Lansing Fire and all citizens of Lansing in expressing our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues for this heartbreaking loss.
While his extraordinary life story will be told in the days ahead, we know that Fire Fighter Rodeman was also a veteran of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment, United States Marine Corps. He served his country with great pride, bravery and ability, having survived a tour of duty in Fallujah, Iraq, one of the most dangerous places in the world. It is beyond comprehension that this American hero lost his life on the streets of Lansing while collecting charitable contributions for children afflicted by muscular dystrophy.
May the memory of Lansing Fire Fighter and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dennis Rodeman – a hero twice over – be forever etched in the hearts and minds of those who had the privilege of knowing him.
