GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Local and state leaders are reacting to the news that a former Michigan State Police sergeant’s federal criminal case has been dismissed.
Brian Keely was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of 25-year-old Samuel Sterling last year after he hit him with his cruiser during a chase. Court documents filed Wednesday show charges against Keely were dismissed.
Family shows News 8 a photo of Samuel Sterling.
“When a case is thrown out, that is such an injustice and slap to the face of the family, that I am really shook up by this decision,” Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack told News 8. “This is an abomination of justice and it’s continuing to happen here in West Michigan.”
Womack added that he stands with the Sterling family during this time.
Judge tosses case against former MSP sgt in death of Samuel Sterling
“We believe every family deserves their day in court when their child has been murdered because it gives everyone an opportunity — the community, law enforcement, parents and kids — to see what went wrong. What can the police do differently? What can the community do differently?” he said.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement that she stands by the arguments her team made in court.
“Such a precedent is dangerous and fundamentally undermines the principles of justice and accountability our legal system is meant to uphold,” she wrote in a statement.
“My heart breaks for the loved ones left behind by Mr. Sterling and the community who mourns him,” Nessel wrote. “This outcome is nothing short of a miscarriage of justice and my Department is considering our next steps.”
Womack added that he believes this sends a negative and dangerous message to the community and the nation.
“It setting a dangerous precedent to tell people in the community that an officer can be the judge, jury, and executioner on the spot and as this case was announced that there was immunity, that they seem to believe that police can operate with qualified immunity according to their statues but here in the United States of America, I will remind them that there is still power to the people,” Womack said.
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Keely’s attorneys in a release said the ruling “brings long-overdue relief to an officer who was doing his job to protect the public from a dangerous fugitive who escalated the situation by choosing to flee and place both officers and the community at risk.”
“This ruling not only vindicates our client but also sends a strong message in support of those who serve with honor and integrity,” the release said.
Nessel said she’s exploring options to appeal. In civil court, attorneys representing the family of Samuel Sterling have filed an excessive force lawsuit.
The attorney who represents the Sterling family in the civil lawsuits, Ven Johnson, released a statement following the dismissal.
“It sends a troubling message that a police officer can run over an unarmed man and avoid facing a criminal jury,” wrote Johnson, in part. “Let me be clear: while this criminal case has been dismissed, our fight for civil justice is not.”
