DETROIT -- The Canton Police Department learned early Wednesday evening that one of its own had died.

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Canton police officer Gordon Lewis Stevens was pronounced dead around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday after his patrol car was struck by an oncoming vehicle at Michigan Avenue and Lotz Road, Local 4 reported.

Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Stevens observed a suspicious vehicle in an area of tall grass off of Lotz Road, north of Van Born.

Stevens parked his patrol car on the west side of the road, about 75 yards north of the vehicle, and walked over to see if he could determine if the car was stolen.

Upon returning to his car to obtain information about the suspicious vehicle, Stevens was struck by another vehicle, and was partially ejected from the car.

A passer-by reported the incident to the Canton Police Department at 4:16 p.m. and police and fire rescue crews immediately responded.

Stevens, along with the driver and passenger of the striking vehicle, were seriously injured in the accident and transported to Oakwood Annapolis Hospital in Wayne.

The Canton Police Department has asked the Michigan State Police to investigate the accident, and has offered the Canton Department's accident investigation team will provide assistance as needed.

Stevens, a 52-year-old Ann Arbor resident, was married and had no children. His career began as a reserve officer in 1976 with the Canton Police Department, and he was one of the original officers hired in 1978 when the department began to provide full-time police services to the community.

The officer received several departmental awards including a Commendation and Certificate of Merit, and had also received a Distinguished Service Medal from the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) for his successful intervention of an armed robbery in progress.