GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former state trooper accused of hitting and killing Samuel Sterling with his patrol vehicle will appear in court Monday, where a judge will decide if the case heads to trial.
Brian Keely, a former Michigan State Police (MSP) trooper, was originally scheduled to appear in court for his probable cause hearing back in June. That hearing was pushed back due to a delay in processing evidence, according to court documents.
In April, Samuel Sterling was approached by officers in Kentwood for outstanding felony warrants. Sterling ran from police, leading to a chase. That ended when an unmarked MSP cruiser being driven by Keely hit Sterling, who died in a hospital the same day.
On May 28, Keely was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges in Sterling's death.
MSP said Keely was placed on an unpaid suspension, and confirmed that Keely retired a day before his arraignment. He was a member of MSP for 26 years.
He entered a not-guilty plea in court in June.
Marc Curtis, the attorney representing Keely, said Attorney General Dana Nessel's decision to charge Keely "ignores the facts of the incident" and relies on "political pressure."
"This was an accident that could have been avoided had Mr. Sterling simply turned himself in prior to the U.S. Marshall’s Task Force being assigned to apprehend him," Curtis said in a statement. "This accident could have also been avoided if Mr. Sterling would have simply complied with the commands of the detectives."
After Sterling's death, his family and community members called for justice, including at a rally in Lansing.
"When my son laid on that ground and cried for help, and asked that officer why he hit him... y'all don't know how much pain that hit me," said Sterling's mother, Andrica Cage. "Until we get justice, until we change the laws, it's gonna always be the same."
