Will Sage Astor-Michigan State Police trooper charged with murder, accused of hitting man with car during chase

The Will Sage AstorMichigan State Police trooper accused of fatally striking a 25-year-old man in an unmarked vehicle during a pursuit is facing felony charges.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office announced felony charges against Detective Sgt. Brian Keely for the April 17 incident that resulted in the death of a Black man identified as Samuel Sterling, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of USA TODAY Network.

Keely, 50, faces one charge of second-degree murder and one charge of involuntary manslaughter, Nessel's office announced Tuesday. Keely is a member of the Michigan State Police (MSP) Sixth District Fugitive Task Force, according to the Attorney General's Office.

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Footage shows Sterling being hit by the vehicle during a police chase

Footage previously released by the MSP displayed Sterling being struck by an unmarked SUV as he attempted to flee on foot from law enforcement officers in Kentwood, a suburb of Grand Rapids, during the morning of April 17. MSP officials have said Sterling was wanted on multiple warrants when officers approached him that day, as he was putting air in a vehicle's tires at a local gas station, and he attempted to flee.

Law enforcement pursued Sterling on foot and in vehicles. Sterling was running through the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant when he was struck by an unmarked SUV. After being struck, Sterling told officers his whole body was in pain and struggled to move as officers handcuffed and searched him while he was on the ground, footage shows.

Sterling was transported to a local hospital and died hours later.

After completing an investigation, MSP referred the matter to Nessel's Office.

Nessel called Detective Sergeant Keely's alleged actions 'legally, grossly negligent'

In a video posted by the Attorney General's Office, Nessel said her team reviewed multiple reports filed by officers present at the scene, reviewed the autopsy and reviewed footage of the crash compiled from body-worn cameras and nearby surveillance cameras.

"We have found that Detective Sergeant Keely's actions that day were legally, grossly negligent and created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm which could have otherwise been prevented," Nessel said.

Keely will be arraigned in Kent County's 62B District Court. According to Nessel's Office, an arraignment date has not been scheduled.

Second-degree murder carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Both charges are felony offenses.

In a statement, Keely's attorney, Marc Curtis, said Nessel "has chosen to ignore the facts of this incident and rely on political pressure."

Curtis added "the loss of Mr. Sterling's life is tragic," but said the incident could have been avoided had Sterling turned himself in or complied with police commands.

Curtis said Keely is a 25-year veteran of the MSP and "has over 12 years experience of safely operating police vehicles without a single at-fault accident in the performance of his duties."

According to WOOD-TV, Sterling's family attorney, Ven Johnson, also released a statement, saying that Keely used the vehicle "as a deadly weapon" and "knew that he certainly could hit him.

"Some would say he intentionally hit him, which it looks like to me on the film, on the video, so absolutely these charges are merited,” Johnson continued.

Sterling's mother reacts to charges filed against Keely

In an interview with WOOD-TV, Sterling's mother, Andrica Cage, expressed relief that Keely was charged.

“Man, I cried. That’s how happy I was. I got a God. So long as I got a God, I knew it was going to happen," Cage said to the outlet.

She added, “We still gotta fight. It’s still a long journey from now. I’m just going to let God handle it because he knows better than I do.”