Family: Man hit by unmarked cruiser was father, rapper
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) — The man who died after being hit by an unmarked police cruiser during a foot chase was a father, rapper and, when he was younger, an aspiring NFL player, family said.
Samuel Sterling, 25, had been excited about playing a show this weekend, a cousin told News 8.
MSP: Suspect hit, killed by unmarked cruiser during chase in Kentwood
According to a statement from Michigan State Police Director Col. James F. Grady II released Thursday night, troopers and officers from various police agencies were looking for Sterling that day.
He was wanted on multiple outstanding felony warrants, MSP said, though the agency did not list the charges. Records show Sterling had absconded from probation in June 2022, a sentence he was serving after being convicted of being a felony in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and stealing a credit or debit card.
Around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers found Sterling at a gas station near the intersection of 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue putting air into the tires of a vehicle, Grady said in the statement. When officers approached, Sterling ran away. Several officers chased him on foot and an MSP officer in an unmarked vehicle “drove parallel to him,” Grady wrote.
Eventually, Sterling and the officers ended up in the parking lot of a Burger King on Eastern Avenue at 52nd Street in Kentwood and the vehicle driven by an MSP member hit Sterling, the MSP director wrote. The vehicle was driven by an MSP detective sergeant, troopers said.
Read full statement by Michigan State Police
Sterling was rushed to the hospital, where he died. A candlelight vigil was held for him outside the Burger King Wednesday night, and candles remained there Thursday.
The MSP detective sergeant who was driving the vehicle has been suspended as the investigation continues, according to the agency.
In a statement on social media Wednesday, MSP offered condolences to his family and promised a “detail and meticulous” investigation. It asked for patience as that process plays out.
“As an African American male and a father, it’s not lost on me that this is the death of another young African American male following an interaction with police. As the Director of the Michigan State Police, I want to assure the community that we see you, hear you and will thoroughly and expeditiously investigate the incident,” Grady wrote in the Thursday statement.
The investigation will be done by a “neighboring MSP district,” according to Grady.
On Thursday, News 8 crews saw investigators in the area where the crash happened, speaking to potential witnesses and gathering surveillance video.
Cle Jackson, president of the NAACP of Greater Grand Rapids, described Sterling’s family as “devastated” and “in shock.” He said it’s his understanding that Sterling was not posing an imminent threat to anyone.
Jackson confirmed to News 8 that Sterling’s family has asked the NAACP to investigate Sterling’s death. He said the group’s investigation is in its earliest stages, but that will gather and review police reports and check the backgrounds of the officers involved for any complaints of excessive force or harassment.
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