Former MSP sergeant asks for stay in civil case
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The former Michigan State Police sergeant who hit a man with his unmarked cruiser, killing him, has asked a judge to pause the civil case against him until the criminal case has concluded.
Brian Keely is charged with in the death of 25-year-old Samuel Sterling in April 2024. Authorities said Sterling ran away from a task force seeking to arrest him. Officers chased him to a Burger King in Kentwood while Keely pursued in an unmarked cruiser. Video released by MSP shows Sterling being hit by Keely's SUV near the restaurant's entrance. Sterling was hospitalized and died hours later.
In January, a was filed on behalf of Sterling's family. The lawsuit alleges Keely violated Sterling's Fourth and 14th Amendment protections against excessive force and argues gross negligence and willful and wanton misconduct.
Families of Riley Doggett, Samuel Sterling file excessive force lawsuits
Keely's lawyers filed the motion for stay in federal court Monday, asking the court to pause the civil case until the criminal case is resolved. Alternatively, they asked the court to extend the time to file his first responsive pleading.
Keely's lawyers argued that there is 'a complete overlap of issues' in the civil and criminal cases, 'as they both arise from the same case and controversy.'
'While both the criminal and civil case will have separate elements and standards of proof, proceeding with both at the same time leaves Defendant Keely with difficult choices about how to mount his defenses in each case,' his lawyers wrote.
Former MSP sgt's murder case won't go to trial on scheduled date
An evidentiary hearing in the criminal case, which is being handled in federal court, for April 21.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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