MSP ends investigation into death of man struck by unmarked police SUV; AG should decide on charges

Michigan State Police said Friday that it has completed its investigation into the death of Samuel Sterling, who died April 17 after being struck by an unmarked police SUV while fleeing officers, and that it has completed its The results will be handed over to the public prosecutor’s office to clarify whether criminal charges are justified.

MSP said last month that state police and officers from other agencies were attempting to take Sterling into custody on an outstanding warrant in Kentwood when he fled. “Several officers pursued him on foot and an MSP member was driving an unmarked vehicle. They eventually converged on the parking lot of Burger King on Eastern Avenue, where the vehicle driven by the MSP member struck Mr. Sterling,” MSP said in a press release a week after the incident.

On Friday, state police also released a collection of videos from the crime scene. They come from MSP, the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Wyoming Police Department and include three body-worn camera videos and one car camera video. Police said they redacted portions of the videos “to conceal the identities of undercover officers and unrelated individuals.”

The release does not include video of the officer driving the vehicle that struck Sterling. This officer “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,” MSP said.

The videos begin with a Wyoming Police Department officer getting out of a patrol car and running. This officer orders Sterling to raise his hands, but Sterling, who is initially barely visible in the shaky frame, continues to run away.

Sterling runs into a Burger King parking lot. An unmarked SUV shows up and plows Sterling into the outside wall of the restaurant.

Sterling screams and officers call an ambulance seconds later.

According to police, he was taken to a hospital where he died hours later.

Before releasing the videos publicly, MSP Director James F. Grady II said he met privately with Sterling’s family to show them the footage. The family’s lawyer, Ven Johnson, said he was also there and described what he saw with them.

“It was horrible. And then his parents have to watch as he moans in pain and begs them to help him, to get him medical attention. “It was very hard to watch,” Johnson said.

After the video was released, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Sterling’s death “unacceptable.”

“Given the video footage showing a departure from MSP protocols and the department’s high standards, I expect the state of Michigan will take steps to terminate the officer’s employment if criminal charges are filed,” Whitmer said in a statement Explanation.

MSP has not publicly named the officer who attacked Sterling, saying officers’ contracts prohibit the release of a member’s name or personnel file unless they are accused of a crime.

Officials said the officer was previously suspended without pay and remains suspended pending the outcome of the attorney general’s investigation.