Shockwaves continue to ripple through Michigan as the Attorney General's office investigates the death of 25-year-old Samuel Sterling, who was fatally struck by an unmarked Michigan State Police vehicle during a foot chase. The hunt for Sterling, who had warrants for his arrest, culminated tragically outside a Burger King in Kentwood on April 17, as reported by WWJ and confirmed by footage from multiple law enforcement body cams and in-car cameras.
The video, which was deemed challenging to watch by Sterling's family's attorney Ven Johnson and described in harrowing detail by FOX 17, showed Sterling being pursued by officers before being struck and pinned against a building by the vehicle with the pain of the man being so evident as the video continues, his cries for help and a plaintive plea "Why did you hit me like that?" caught on tape the incident now sits at the center of a heated debate over police conduct and accountability.
MSP Director Col. James Grady II responded to the public outcry, stating the MSP member involved was suspended without pay and his agency is cooperating with the Attorney General’s review, seeking to be transparent and to maintain their standard of service, according to a statement covered by The Detroit News. Sterling's mother, Andrica Cage, labeled the incident "hurtful and sad", questioning the necessity of the force applied in her son's fatal run-in with law enforcement.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist have both spoken on the incident expressing their trust in Attorney General Dana Nessel to reach a fair decision regarding potential criminal charges which transparency and justice remain paramount concerns for them and for the Grand Rapids community grappling with the consequences of this incident Sterling's death starkly highlighting the ongoing national conversation about law enforcement's use of force, especially after the Michigan State Police updated its policy in March on vehicle pursuits to limit them to scenarios where violent felons are being sought.
