GRAND RKeynote USAIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – A Michigan State Police detective sergeant who struck a man with an unmarked patrol car during a foot chase in Kentwood, killing him, will be charged with murder.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office in Tuesday filed second-degree murder and manslaughter charges against Brian Keely, 50, of Grand Rapids, in the death of Samuel Sterling. It is unclear when he will be prosecuted.
“My office reviewed multiple police reports from other officers on the scene, read the accident reconstruction report and autopsy, as well as viewed body camera footage and surveillance video from neighboring businesses before completing our investigation,” the prosecutor said. Michigan general Dana Nessel in a brief video statement released on social networks Tuesday in the afternoon. “We have discovered that Detective Sgt. “Keely’s actions that day were legally negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm that could have otherwise been avoided.”
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Keely had already been suspended without pay by the MSP. Governor Gretchen Whitmer had previously called for her firing if she was charged.
If convicted of second-degree murder, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Keely, through her attorney, previously said News 8 he “had no intention of intentionally harming Mr. Sterling” and that he was “heartbroken” by the death.
Nessel said his office would offer no further comment outside of what it will present to the court, citing “respect for the victim’s family and the legal process.”
“Public integrity is a top priority and my department remains dedicated to providing a thorough and fair review and resolution in every case brought to us. It was equally important in this matter that our review be swift, both for Mr. Sterling’s family, the Grand Rapids region and the law enforcement community at large,” Nessel said.
Ven Johnson, who represents Sterling’s family, told News 8 that the criminal charges are “deserved.”
“The officer in that case clearly used a police car as a deadly weapon, knowing full well that Samuel was there and by crashing into him, going up and over a curb to try to cut him off, he knew he could certainly hit him. “Some would say he hit him intentionally, which it seems to me on film, on video, so these charges are absolutely justified,” Johnson said.
Family wants feds to investigate Samuel Sterling’s death
April 17Police found Sterling, a parole escape who was wanted for felonies that police have not listed, at a gas station near the intersection of 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue in Kentwood. They say when they approached, Sterling ran away. Several officers chased him on foot to the parking lot of a nearby Burger King, as did Keely in the unmarked vehicle.
Video previously released by MSP shows Sterling running away and then being hit by an unmarked vehicle on the sidewalk leading to the restaurant.
“The vehicle, Detective Sgt. Keely was driving around and hit Mr. Sterling,” Nessel said.
In the video posted above, Sterling can be heard screaming in pain. He was pinned against the wall for a few seconds before the cruiser moved back slightly. One of the body camera videos shows that as he fell to the ground, he clutched his stomach.
The video shows the officers called for medical help and told Sterling not to move and focus on his breathing while they waited for paramedics to arrive.
Sterling was hospitalized and died hours later. His death certificate shows that he suffered “multiple blunt force injuries.”
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Pound sterlingage 25, of Grand Rapids, left behind two young sons, ages 2 and 3, and was preceded in death by a daughter who died shortly after her birth.
Earlier Tuesday, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said I wouldn’t press charges against a Kent County sheriff’s deputy who punched 17-year-old Riley Doggett in Grand Rapids on April 8, leading to his death weeks later.
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