Latest news with #Keely
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sterling family ‘sick,' ‘devastated' after judge tosses murder case against former MSP sgt.
Editor's note: The video above aired May 29, 2025. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Samuel Sterling's parents say they are devastated and in disbelief after a federal judge threw out the murder case against the former Michigan State Police sergeant in the death of their son. More than a year after she lost her son, the back of Andrica Cage's shirt said it all: 'A mother's love never dies.' The front was a picture of Sterling with angel wings on his back. As she honors her son, she says she has lost hope in the justice system. 'I got hope in God,' she said. 'That's what I'm going to stick with.' Judge tosses case against former MSP sgt in death of Samuel Sterling In April 2024, police were pursuing the 25-year-old Sterling for multiple felony warrants and tracked him down to a Kentwood gas station. Officers chased Sterling on foot to a nearby Burger King while Keely pursued in an unmarked cruiser. Video shows Detective Sgt. Brian Keely's SUV hitting Sterling near the restaurant entrance. Sterling died hours later. A federal judge dismissed against Keely last week, ruling that he's entitled to immunity under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution because he was acting as a federal law enforcement officer. The judge also said prosecutors didn't prove Keely intentionally killed Sterling. 'I was sick,' Cage said. 'I threw up. I cried. It was just unbelievable that a judge can actually dismiss something.' Sterling's dad Michael Sterling believes a jury would have found Keely guilty. As of now, they won't get their day in court. He said it's a slap in the face. 'I'm not surprised, but I'm very hurt, devastated, sad, angry,' he said. 'All the above.' 'Abomination of justice': Community leaders react to Keely case dismissal Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack, who has been working with the family, said 'this was a death that could have been avoided.' 'Somewhere there has to be justice for them to know that the state of Michigan recognizes this was a life that was taken,' he said. Keely's attorneys say he is vindicated by the decision. They argue he was doing his job in a high-risk situation and protecting the public from someone they say was a dangerous fugitive. 'This ruling not only vindicates our client but also sends a strong message in support of those who serve with honor and integrity,' Keely attorneys Marc E. Curtis and Lance LoRusso said in a statement. AG says she's mulling appeals in Keely case Attorney General Dana Nessel, who brought the charges against Keely and is considering appealing, said the ruling was unprecedented. 'The way this case was decided was nothing short of a miscarriage of justice,' Nessel told News 8 last week. Attorney Ven Johnson is representing the Sterling family in a civil excessive force lawsuit. He said the judge's decision to throw out the criminal case is 'revictimizing the victims.' 'I've never seen anything like this in my life after nearly 40 years of practice,' he said. Sterling's parents remain at a loss over how the murder case didn't make it to trial. 'Now it's blood on that judge's hand,' Cage said. 'It wasn't just blood on Brian Keely's hand. Now it's blood on her hand. As I always tell everybody I'm a God-fearing mother, so I'm going to let God handle this.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kent Co. Commissioner launches town hall series after dismissal of high-profile police cases
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack is launching a following the dismissal of charges in two high-profile police cases and the upcoming closure of a local Job Corps center. Sign up for the News 8 daily newsletter The first meeting in the 'State of Emergency' series begins at 6 p.m. Monday at the Wealthy Theater. Womack says the event will address public reaction to recent legal decisions involving former officers and , as well as broader concerns around police reform and community rights. Schurr will not be retried in the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya. Charges against Keely were dismissed after he struck and killed Samuel Sterling with an unmarked cruiser. Womack is calling for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to appeal the Keely ruling. Panelists for tonight's event include attorneys Ben Crump and Ven Johnson, local civil rights leaders, NAACP representatives, and family members of Lyoya and Riley Doggett. 'Abomination of justice': Community leaders react to Keely case dismissal 'This decision sends a clear message to Michigan citizens: that police can act as judge, jury and executioner in our neighborhood,' . 'Fortunately, not all officers are evil. While I advocate for citizens to follow police commands, I strongly believe it is wrong to give police the power to kill unarmed individuals without consequence. Our constitution guarantees protection from cruel or unusual punishment.' The town hall will also address the phased closure of the Job Corps center on Hall Street, set to end operations this month. Dates and locations for the remaining three meetings have not been announced. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Calls for inquiry into prescribing of anti-epilepsy drug to begin
The Minister for Health has been urged to commence a long-awaited inquiry into the historical prescribing of an anti-epilepsy drug to pregnant women without delay. Families affected by sodium valproate, which can cause serious birth defects and development disorders, were told last year that the inquiry would begin 'within weeks'. However, despite a chairperson being appointed last June, the inquiry has yet to start. Karen Keely, from the Organisation for Anticonvulsant Syndromes Ireland, has said she is "dumbfounded and absolutely shocked" over the delay. All of Ms Keely's three sons - 38-year-old Harry, Lee who is 29, and 26-year-old Lorcan - have been impacted and require round-the-clock care. Speaking from her home in Ratoath, Co Meath, she said she has been fighting for an inquiry for almost a decade and thought it would be halfway through by now. "I'm gutted... there's no words for how I feel, because you know you're living with a guilt knowing what you know, and you're still fighting for something," she said. According to the Department of Health, prior to the formal commencement of the inquiry, "it is necessary to have in place regulations made under the Data Protection Act 2018". This, it said, is necessary to ensure that the inquiry has a "robust legal basis" and to support its data protection obligations. However, Ms Keely said the delay is unacceptable. "The only thing that's holding up in this inquiry is the data regulations. And it does not take a year to put data regulations in place. It doesn't take a year," she said. "I hope that the data regulations are put in place as soon as possible. I hope the inquiry is started, like yesterday. It needs to start. The Irish voices literally need to be heard. They're the only voices that have not been heard." The Department has previously stated that the non-statutory inquiry will document the evolution of sodium valproate regulation, the practices and controls in relation to its prescribing, and the timeline of developments in scientific knowledge about the potential impact of the drug on foetal development. It's also said that sodium valproate is an effective medication and continues to be an essential part of treatment plans and that patients shouldn't make changes to their treatment without first consulting their doctor. However, it is estimated over 1,000 children have been impacted since the 1970s, with the most recent cases dating to the 2010s. Solicitor Ciara McPhillips represents many of the families and said it is been an incredibly upsetting time for them. "We understand the reason for that is that data protection regulations, which are obviously important to the inquiry, which will deal with personal data, have not been finalise. Families are very frustrated and feel that last year was a false dawn." She said the timeline set out by the then minister for health, Stephen Donnelly, last June was "overly optimistic", but said regardless of that, "it's incredibly frustrating for families who have campaigned for this for years and who have children who are very much affected by this in a life-altering way". "Behind all of that is a deep concern for what will happen to their children when they're no longer here and perhaps no longer able to continue the fight on their behalf," she said. Ms Keely said it is imperative that the necessary data regulations are put in place, and the inquiry starts as soon as possible. "I want to know who knew what and when. I want people accountable for their actions, and be responsible for their actions," she said. She also wants more than the facts established. "Redress and an apology. I should have got the apology years ago," she said, before outlining the care her three sons require and the toll it has taken on her. "I've been doing this since I'm 18 years of age. I've been going to medical appointments, physios, speech, surgeries for every single thing you can think of. "When they come home for the surgeries, you have to really look after them. Then you have the incontinence you have to look after … and I have one child also who's going through his own issues and he's been put on antidepressants for them." "It's so draining they need constant care. You know, it's 24 hours. There's no stop. There's no stop button on this," she said. Any free time she gets, she pours into campaigning to get the inquiry up and running. In a statement, the Department of Health said since the appointment of Bríd O'Flaherty as chair, "significant work has been carried out to put in place the necessary arrangements to operationalise and establish the inquiry". It said the necessary data regulations are currently being drafted and that when they are finalised, it is anticipated that "the public facing elements of the inquiry will commence shortly thereafter". Ms Keely's message to the Minister is simple: "You need to get this inquiry up and running, you need to get this sorted."
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Charges dropped for ex-MSP sergeant who fatally struck a man with unmarked SUV
A federal judge dismissed charges against a former Michigan State Police sergeant who struck a man with an unmarked patrol car as the man attempted to flee officers, ruling May 28 the officer has immunity from state prosecution under a federal protection clause. In May 2024, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office charged former MSP Detective Sgt. Brian Keely with one charge of second-degree murder and an alternate charge of involuntary manslaughter. Video released last year by the MSP showed Keely, driving an unmarked patrol vehicle, striking 25-year-old Samuel Sterling with the car as Sterling attempted to run away from law enforcement officers in Kentwood, a suburb of Grand Rapids, in April 2024. Nessel had issued the charges in Kent County district court but Keely's attorneys had argued the case should be moved to federal court because the former sergeant was part of a U.S. Marshal's Service task force at the time he struck Sterling. In August, the case was moved to U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, where Judge Hala Jarbou dismissed the case May 28. Sterling was putting air in a vehicle's tires at a gas station when officers approached him April 17, 2024. He tried to run away. 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, video footage shows. Sterling was transported to a local hospital and died hours later. Nessel, when announcing the charges, said Keely had created a very high risk of death or great bodily harm when he struck Sterling. But Jarbou stated prosecutors failed to show Keely acted with malicious intent. Jarbou cited the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, writing since the task force Keely was a part of was focused on apprehending criminal suspects, he was carrying out his duties at the time he struck Sterling. Court documents show Sterling had outstanding felony warrants when he fled from officers who approached him. The Supremacy Clause allows federal law to prevail over conflicting state law. Jarbou wrote "the State has not presented sufficient evidence to create a genuine dispute about whether Keely acted pursuant to federal law and did no more than what was necessary and proper for him to do in attempting to apprehend Sterling. Accordingly, Keely is entitled to immunity under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution." Marc Curtis, a Norton Shores attorney who represented Keely, said in a statement: 'We are grateful that the Court recognized this case for what it truly was — a law enforcement officer doing his job in a high-risk encounter with a known fugitive." Nessel said May 28 her office stands by its arguments that Keely was not acting reasonably when he struck Sterling. Prosecutors had argued that Keely was not entitled to federal protections because he was employed by MSP and was just a member of a Marshal's Service task force. 'I am disappointed that the case's transfer to federal court ultimately resulted in its dismissal and am deeply concerned with the precedent it sets — that individuals deemed federal officers by federal authorities can commit lethal crimes against Michigan residents with impunity," Nessel said in a statement. Ven Johnson, a Detroit attorney representing Sterling's estate in a separate, civil lawsuit against Keely, said in a statement the ruling "sends a troubling message that a police officer can run over an unarmed man and avoid facing a criminal jury." Jarbou is also the presiding judge in the civil lawsuit. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Charges dropped for ex-MSP sergeant who fatally struck man with SUV
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Judge tosses case against former MSP sgt in death of Samuel Sterling
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Citing immunity under the Supremacy Clause, a federal judge has tossed the case of a former Michigan State Police sergeant who hit a man with a cruiser. Brian Keely, charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Samuel Sterling last year, will not face federal charges, court documents say. Looking to arrest , 25, of Grand Rapids, on a number of warrants, authorities tracked him to a Kentwood gas station in . Police say he ran away when they moved in to get him. Officers chased him on foot to a nearby Burger King 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. Family: Man hit by unmarked cruiser was father, rapper In August, U.S. District Court Judge Hala Jarbou decided that because Keely was operating as part of a U.S. Marshals task force, the case fell under federal jurisdiction. She moved it out of the state courts and . Jarbou on Wednesday granted a motion from Keely's attorneys to dismiss the charges against him, saying the state does not have enough evidence to dispute Keely's actions. Ex-MSP sgt details moments leading to deadly crash Keely had argued that he was immune under the Supremacy Clause because he was acting as a federal officer when attempting to arrest Sterling, and therefore cannot be face criminal prosecution under state law. To be granted immunity, it needs to be proven that Keely was acting in an authorized way under U.S. law and that he did not do more than was necessary and proper to carry it out. In the dismissal motion, the judge said that the state had originally argued Keely had criminal intent, acted with 'malice' and seemed to argue he 'intended to kill or harm Sterling.' The state did not provide evidence that Keely 'turned his wheel sharply toward Sterling or intentionally killed him,' the court documents say. While the state later disclaimed that hurting or killing Sterling was intentional, it still argued he could be found guilty of second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter if he acted 'in disregard of life-endangering consequences.' 'The Court is not persuaded by the State's argument,' the court documents say. It noted that there were several warrants out for Sterling's arrest, including a domestic violence charge. It also notes Sterling led multiple officers on a long chase in a populated area as he tried to evade arrest. Former MSP sergeant asks for stay in civil case It was reasonable for Keely to assume Sterling was armed, the court documents say, and therefore a threat to the public and officers. Citing Keely's expert witness, the documents say the safety threat would have increased if he was able to get into the Burger King, where he could have taken a hostage or ambushed officers. 'Considering these factors, even if Keely's actions were risky, he made a reasonable decision to try to block or deter Sterling from entering the restaurant in order to prevent more serious risks to the public and to the officers created by Sterling's flight,' the documents say. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in a statement said she stands by the arguments her team made in court. 'I am disappointed that the case's transfer to federal court ultimately resulted in its dismissal and am deeply concerned with the precedent it sets—that individuals deemed federal officers by federal authorities can commit lethal crimes against Michigan residents with impunity,' she said in a statement. 'Such a precedent is dangerous and fundamentally undermines the principles of justice and accountability our legal system is meant to uphold.' She said it is regrettable the case was never presented to a jury, adding that 'no one should be above the law.' Nessel added that she is grateful for the work of her team. Vigil marks one year since Samuel Sterling's death 'My heart breaks for the loved ones left behind by Mr. Sterling and the community who mourns him,' she said. 'This outcome is nothing short of a miscarriage of justice and my Department is considering our next steps.' 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.' 'We are grateful that the Court recognized this case for what it truly was — a law enforcement officer doing his job in a high-risk encounter with a known fugitive,' Keely attorneys Marc E. Curtis and Lance LoRusso said in a statement. 'This ruling not only vindicates our client but also sends a strong message in support of those who serve with honor and integrity.' Nessel said she's exploring options to appeal. In civil court, attorneys representing the family of Samuel Sterling have filed an excessive force lawsuit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
