Michigan State Police detective charged with premeditated murder of 25-year-old man

A Michigan State Police detective faces charges of first-degree murder and manslaughter.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges on Tuesday (May 28) in connection with the police chase that left 25-year-old Samuel Sterling dead.

Nessel accused 50-year-old police officer Brian Keely of gross negligence.

Sterling’s parents spoke to Local 4 about the charges and their significant impact.

The case draws attention to the use of deadly force by the police and the outrage that comes with it.

However, it also raises questions among police unions about how far prosecutors like Nessel can go before their actions have a deterrent effect on the police in general.

The incident was captured on video on April 17, when a detective searching for felons with arrest warrants came across Sterling, a parole fugitive, inflating a car tire.

Sterling ran and officers gave chase.

Kelly, driving an unmarked MSP patrol car, drove toward Sterling, striking him and briefly pinning him against the wall of a fast-food restaurant.

Officers searched Sterling and handcuffed him while he was on the ground.

As for the second-degree murder charge, Sterling’s parents, Michael Sterling and Andrica Cage, said they were unable to view the video.

“I can’t watch it because it’s too graphic for me,” Michael said. “I’m glad he was charged and I hope he’s convicted.”

“We are pleased that charges have been brought against him, but we hope that the charges will be brought to the fullest extent of the case,” Cage said.

However, Michael went further and said that the other officers who were not charged also deserved disciplinary action.

“They knelt on his chest, handcuffed him, turned him over and just stood there and watched him die,” Michael said. “I think some of them should have been charged as well.”

–> Video shows fatal collision between Michigan State Police SUV and fleeing man in West Michigan

After the incident, Samuel can be heard writhing in pain in the video before succumbing to his injuries in the hospital.

Nevertheless, Jim Tignanelli, president of the Police Officer Association of Michigan, said he was convinced that Nessel overcharged Kelly in this case.

“These guys were involved in a crime; they were supposedly running from the police,” Tignanelli said. “Shouldn’t they catch the bad guys? And we are human and we make mistakes; in my opinion, I’m not even sure there was a mistake here.”

Tignanelli said police veterans are now quitting their jobs because they don’t want to face felony charges for their work. He added that such charges hurt recruitment.

“The police used to have waiting lists for academies,” said Tignanelli. “There used to be seven or eight academies every year. Now there are academies with no one in them.”

The Sterling family has hired well-known Detroit attorney Ven Johnson, who says he will sue the Michigan State Police over the case.

“It is unfortunate that in this era of political correctness, Michigan’s Attorney General has chosen to ignore the facts of this incident and rely on political pressure. It is also unfortunate that our Governor, without having seen or heard all of the evidence in this case, has decided to put her opinion forward and oppose law enforcement on this matter.

Detective/Sergeant Keely is a highly trained and decorated officer who has served with the Michigan State Police for 25 years. He was assigned to the Emergency Support Team for 10 years where he was recognized for bravery and life-saving actions when he was shot in the chest while rescuing a hostage.

D/Sgt. Keely has been assigned to the U.S. Marshall’s Task Force for several years and has made hundreds of arrests without incident. D/Sgt. Keely has over 12 years of experience safely operating police vehicles and has not caused a single at-fault accident while in the line of duty.

During the chase, he was driving an unmarked vehicle that was equipped with hazard lights and a siren, which are commonly used by police departments across the state and country to apprehend wanted fugitives.

The loss of Mr. Sterling’s life is tragic and can never be undone. D/Sgt. Keely is a man of faith and suffers deeply with the Sterling and Cage families.

However, it was an accident that could have been avoided if Mr. Sterling had simply turned himself in before the U.S. Marshall Task Force was tasked with arresting him.

This accident could have been avoided if Mr. Sterling had simply followed the detectives’ instructions. By his actions, Mr. Sterling not only endangered himself, but also the citizens who were in the area at the time.

We look forward to presenting all of the evidence and facts to the court in defense of D/Sgt. Keely.”

Attorney Marc E. Curtis