Retired Michigan State Police detective faces trial for murder of Samuel Sterling

KENT COUNTY, Michigan (FOX 2) – A retired Michigan State Police detective faces charges after hitting and killing a suspect with his vehicle.

D/Sgt Brian Keely, 50, was charged earlier this year with second-degree murder and manslaughter for the April 17 death of Samuel Sterling in Kentwood and was arraigned on Thursday. Keely retired after the death.

Keely and other members of the MSP Sixth District Fugitive Task Force attempted to apprehend Sterling as he fled on foot. Some police officers pursued Sterling in their vehicles while others pursued on foot.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Keely was in an unmarked vehicle when he turned around in the parking lot of a Burger King restaurant and struck Sterling. Video showed Sterling being pinned against the building by the vehicle.

After being struck, Sterling, who was wanted on several warrants, was handcuffed and told to breathe and relax while he waited for paramedics. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Nessel's office filed charges against Keely after reviewing bodycam and surveillance footage and reading reports from that day, describing his actions as “legally grossly negligent.”

Keely has been a police officer for 26 years and has no previous convictions, a judge said during his court appearance in June.