He was a cop and when Shao Kahn invaded he was told to go West where he met up with the other earthrealm warriors. then I dunno.

"When the Outworld portal opens over a large city in North America, panic and chaos rage out of control. Kurtis Stryker was the leader of a riot control brigade when Shao Kahn began taking souls. He finds himself the lone survivor of a city once populated by millions." That's his bio and in a dream or vision it was Raiden who told him to travel west where he would meet up with the other survivors.