Current:Home > FinanceMichigan State Police trooper charged with second-degree murder in death of Kentwood man-InfoLens
Michigan State Police trooper charged with second-degree murder in death of Kentwood man
View Date:2024-12-23 11:20:19
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan State Police trooper who drove his unmarked SUV into a 25-year-old Kentwood man that was fleeing from police has been charged with second-degree murder.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the charges against Detective Sergeant Brian Keely on Tuesday after Michigan State Police earlier this month concluded their investigation into the April 17 death of Samuel Sterling and released body camera footage showing the collision.
“Detective Sergeant Keely’s actions that day were legally, grossly negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm, which could have otherwise been prevented,” Nessel said in a video statement announcing the charges.
The death of Sterling, a Black man, has reignited anger in a community still recovering from the death of Patrick Lyoya just over two years ago. Lyoya, also Black, died after a Grand Rapids police officer shot him in the back of the head during a traffic stop. The shooting, captured on a bystander’s phone, sparked protests. The former Officer Christopher Schurr has been charged with second-degree murder in that case and has pleaded not guilty
In Sterling’s case, police say he fled from officers on foot on April 17 after they approached him at a Kentwood gas station — located just outside Grand Rapids — and attempted to take him into custody on multiple outstanding warrants.
A 15-minute video of the incident released May 10, which includes body and dash camera footage from three separate police agencies, shows police chasing Sterling as they instruct him to stop and put his hands in the air. As Sterling runs past a Burger King, he is struck by an unmarked car and pinned against the building’s wall.
Sterling can be heard moaning in pain as police call for an ambulance. He died later that day in the hospital.
Nessel filed a second-degree murder charge with an alternative involuntary manslaughter charge. No arraignment date has been set, Nessel said.
Marc Curtis, an attorney representing Keely, said in a statement that Nessel “has chosen to ignore the facts of this incident and rely on political pressure.” He said that while the loss of Sterling’s life “is tragic and can never be replaced,” it could have been avoided if Sterling had “simply complied with the commands of the Detectives.”
Ven Johnson, an attorney representing Sterling’s family, did not immediately provide comment on the charges.
Keely — who was not identified until charges were announced — “was not wearing a body-worn camera due to his assignment on a federal task force, and the unmarked vehicle he was driving was not equipped with an in-car camera,” according to a May 10 statement. Keely was suspended, said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police, in an April 18 statement.
Police have said Sterling was “wanted on multiple warrants” but have not expanded on what the warrants were.
Michigan Department of Correction records show Sterling had violated the terms of his probation in June 2022 after he was convicted off carrying a concealed weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm and stealing a financial transaction device.
Top state lawmakers swiftly denounced the officer’s actions after the footage was released. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Sterling’s death “unacceptable” and a “departure” from normal protocols. She has said she expects the state to “take steps to terminate the trooper’s employment if criminal charges are issued.”
veryGood! (58)
Related
- Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
- Family sues school district over law that bans transgender volleyball player from girls’ sports
- Former Connecticut mayoral candidate pleads guilty to Jan. 6 Capitol breach charge
- A healing Psalm: After car wreck took 3 kids, surrogacy allowed her to become a mom again.
- New 'Yellowstone' is here: Season 5 Part 2 premiere date, time, where to watch
- 'Mean Girls' cast 2024: Who plays Regina George, Cady Heron and The Plastics in new movie?
- Crash between school bus, coal truck sends 20 children to hospital
- Missing Mom Jennifer Dulos Declared Dead Nearly 5 Years After Disappearance
- Amazon Best Books of 2024 revealed: Top 10 span genres but all 'make you feel deeply'
- Alaska ombudsman says Adult Protective Services’ negligent handling of vulnerable adult led to death
Ranking
- Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
- 3 teens face charges in Christmas Day youth facility disturbance, Albuquerque sheriff says
- GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy talks need for fresh leadership, Iowa caucuses
- Mary Lou Retton's health insurance explanation sparks some mental gymnastics
- Satire publication The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families
- Truck driver sentenced to a year in prison for crash that killed New Hampshire trooper
- What’s at stake in Taiwan’s elections? China says it could be a choice between peace and war
- 2 brothers fall into frozen pond while ice fishing on New York lake, 1 survives and 1 dies
Recommendation
-
Oregon's Dan Lanning, Indiana's Curt Cignetti pocket big bonuses after Week 11 wins
-
Why This Is Selena Gomez’s Favorite Taylor Swift Song
-
Defamation case against Nebraska Republican Party should be heard by a jury, state’s high court says
-
Senate confirms 1st woman to lead Maine National Guard
-
'Underbanked' households more likely to own crypto, FDIC report says
-
Ohio, more states push for social media laws to limit kids’ access: Where they stand
-
Advocates Welcome EPA’s Proposed Pollution Restrictions On Trash Incineration. But Environmental Justice Concerns Remain.
-
DOJ seeks death penalty for man charged in racist mass shooting at grocery store in Buffalo