A federal judge dismissed murder and manslaughter charges on Wednesday against a Michigan state trooper who struck and killed a fleeing man with an S.U.V. last year in suburban Grand Rapids.
The judge ruled that the trooper, Brian Keely, who was working as part of a federal Marshals Service task force, acted reasonably when his vehicle struck the fleeing man, Samuel Sterling. The judge said Mr. Keely was acting as a federal law enforcement officer and was entitled to immunity under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which shields federal agents from state prosecution in many instances.
Michigan’s attorney general, Dana Nessel, whose office had filed the charges in state court and fought the transfer of the case to federal court, said that Wednesday’s outcome was “nothing short of a miscarriage of justice.” Her office said it was considering appeal options.
“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,” Ms. Nessel, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Mr. Keely retired from the Michigan State Police after the charges were filed. His lawyers, who had pushed to have the case moved to federal court, lauded the judge’s ruling. They said the decision “not only vindicates our client but also sends a strong message in support of those who serve with honor and integrity.”
“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,” the lawyers, Marc E. Curtis and Lance LoRusso, said in a statement posted on social media.
The U.S. Marshals Service and other federal agencies routinely use task forces, like the one Mr. Keely was working on, that are made up partly of local and state officers who are deputized to enforce federal laws.
Mr. Keely was outside a Burger King restaurant in an unmarked police S.U.V. on April 17, 2024, as several officers were chasing Mr. Sterling, who was being sought for warrants and was running from the police.
As other officers chased Mr. Sterling on foot, video from dash and body cameras showed, Mr. Keely drove his S.U.V. into Mr. Sterling, appearing to pin him near the wall of the restaurant in Kentwood, Mich. The videos show that Mr. Sterling, 25, crying out after being struck. He was taken to a hospital and died.
Mr. Keely told investigators that he feared Mr. Sterling was armed and trying to enter the Burger King, where he could pose a risk to bystanders. Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, who was appointed to the Federal District Court by President Trump, wrote that “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.”
A lawyer for Mr. Sterling’s family, Ven Johnson, said in a statement that the dismissal “sends a troubling message that a police officer can run over an unarmed man and avoid facing a criminal jury.”
“Samuel’s family deserves answers and justice, and we will not stop until they get both,” Mr. Johnson added.
The footage of Mr. Sterling being struck by the police vehicle was shocking to many in Michigan when it was made public last year. The state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, said at the time that Mr. Sterling’s death was “unacceptable.” Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, also a Democrat, said last year that “I hear, see and feel the incredible pain that people are experiencing right now.”
Police video footage has become far more common over the last decade as departments, responding to pressure from residents, have made body cameras a standard part of an officer’s uniform. As scrutiny of police use of force has grown, it has also become more common for officers to face criminal charges for on-duty killings.
Mr. Trump has vowed in his second term to defend police officers. He issued an executive order last month directing his Justice Department to “to provide legal resources and indemnification to law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties.” And last week, the Justice Department said it would back out of proposed consent decrees that called for overhauling the police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky.
The dismissal of Mr. Keely’s case came just weeks after a Michigan jury failed to reach a verdict in the murder trial of a former Grand Rapids police officer. That officer was charged in state court in the 2022 shooting death of Patrick Lyoya, who, like Mr. Sterling, was Black. Prosecutors said last week that most jurors had favored acquittal and that they would not seek another trial.
Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains.
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