The family of a Black man who was killed after he was hit by an unmarked police car in Michigan spoke out on Saturday after body camera footage of the incident was released by investigators.
Michigan State Police said it handed over its investigative report and all evidence to the state attorney general’s office concerning the April 17 death of Samuel Sterling, who was being pursued by officers in Kentwood for outstanding warrants.
Sterling, 25, allegedly fled when officers approached him at a gas station and was hit by an unmarked Michigan State Police car after officers converged on him at a parking lot of a nearby Burger King, police claim. He died later in the day at the hospital.
Samuel Sterling is shown in this photo released by the Sterling family.
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Sterling Family
The body camera footage released Friday showed officers rushing to Sterling on the ground after he was hit moaning in pain and claiming he did not have a gun. The unmarked police vehicle is seen up on a curb next to the restaurant in front of Sterling.
Attorney Ven Johnson, an attorney representing Sterling’s family, said in a statement to ABC News that they were “stunned and appalled to see the MSP trooper deliberately drive over a curb – onto a sidewalk – and violently take Samuel’s life by striking him with an unmarked police car.”
“No one person should be able to appoint themselves as judge, jury and executioner, yet deaths from police brutality and excessive force continue to occur too often,” Johnson added.
Officers are seen putting handcuffs on Sterling and telling firefighters who responded to the scene to keep the cuffs on.
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The footage released Friday came from three agencies who were part of the fugitive task force — Michigan State Police, Grand Rapids Police Department and Wyoming Police Department — and included footage from four sources, three officers’ body camera footage and one dash camera from a police vehicle, Michigan State Police said.
“I assure the Sterling and Cage families and the communities we serve that we will continue to be transparent in this investigation and will fully cooperate with the Michigan Department of Attorney General as they begin their review,” MSP director Col. James F. Grady II, who met with the family Friday, said in a statement.
Samuel Sterling is shown in this photo released by the Sterling family.
Sterling Family
The state police trooper who was driving the vehicle that hit Sterling was not wearing a body camera and his vehicle did not have a dash camera “due to his assignment on a federal task force,” Michigan State Police said in a statement.
The state police launched an investigation into the incident and suspended the trooper — whose identity has not been revealed because of the probe — without pay.
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Marc E. Curtis, the attorney representing the trooper, told ABC News in a statement that his client is cooperating with the investigation.
“We would like to express to the family and community that we know you are grieving the death of Mr. Sterling. The Trooper involved is heartbroken at the loss of Mr. Sterling’s life and wants the family to know that he had no intention of purposely harming Mr. Sterling,” Curtis said in a statement.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will review the police report and evidence and decide if any charges are warranted.
“My public integrity unit has investigated dozens of police-involved incidents and is dedicated to providing a thorough and just review and resolution in each one,” Nessel said in a statement last month.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Friday that Sterling’s death was “unacceptable” and called for the termination of the officer if charges are issued.
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“I have full faith that her office will work quickly to arrive at a fair and just decision as to whether criminal charges are appropriate,” the governor said of Nessel.
ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
Moore was released on a $25,000 bond on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A new report has shed more light on the alleged relationship between former Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore and an alleged staff member.
Moore was fired on Wednesday (Dec. 10) due to the inappropriate relationship, and afterward, he reportedly went to the woman’s home and threatened to take his own life.
According to The Athletic, the woman was on the phone with her lawyer when Moore allegedly broke into her apartment.
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The lawyer told police she could hear screaming over the phone.
The report also stated the woman allegedly ended the relationship two days before Moore was fired, but he continued to call and send dozens of texts over the following days.
That behavior prompted the woman to come forward to the university, leading to his dismissal and subsequent arrest.
Moore was released on a $25,000 bond on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
–> Michigan football interim head coach Biff Poggi talks team’s emotional state following Sherrone Moore saga
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–> President Trump appears to take jab at Michigan football while talking about NIL
–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond
–> Warde Manuel still athletic director after U of M Regents meet, per reports
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About the Author
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Brandon Carr
Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.
On Tuesday, multiple reports began to surface about Washington coach Jedd Fisch no longer being considered by the Wolverines as a candidate for the open head football coaching position at Michigan.
Although it’s still unclear as to why Michigan is seemingly moving off of him as a consideration, college football analyst Josh Pate seemed to confirm the reports on his show that Fisch is unlikely to be a factor in the Wolverines’ search moving forward.
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Dec 13, 2025; Inglewood, CA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch in the first half of the LA Bowl against the Boise State Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
“There’s been some sentiment about Jedd Fisch,” Pate said. “There’s been some though this week—and granted, it’s only Tuesday (at the time of his show). But there’s been some thought this week that Jedd Fisch’s name may be climbing. And that’s because Michigan was taking a hard look at him.
“There’s been some sentiment today that maybe Jedd Fisch’s name has cooled. I think that’s accurate. And I think they’ve done a fairly good job, especially if you’re on The Fort (On3’s The Wolverine) on the message boards over there, I think they’ve done a fairly good job of detailing that. Not necessarily details that I think it’s important for us to dive into—it’s more minutiae based.
“The critical take home points here are—I don’t know that Jedd Fisch is going to be a factor in the Michigan search moving forward. He’s got himself a good job at Washington. It’s one of the better jobs in the Big Ten. In fact, Jedd Fisch may have one of the more underrated jobs in the country. So, it’s not like he needs to be desperate to leave Washington. But I think his name was a factor, I’m not so sure it’s going to be a factor moving forward.”
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Fisch’s history at Michigan and where Wolverines go from here
Fisch was considered a quality candidate for the job due to his extensive background in coaching, which includes four different NFL stops and coaching at seven different college programs.
He was the head coach at Arizona from 2021-23 and led a turnaround for the Wildcats under his watch before becoming the head coach of the Huskies in 2024.
In the 2015-16 season, Fisch served as Michigan’s passing game coordinator while also helping with the quarterbacks and wide receivers in his only year with the Wolverines under former head coach Jim Harbaugh.
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With Fisch apparently now likely off the board, it looks like the Wolverines will turn to other names of interest.
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Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer still seem to be the names that are being thrown around the most during Michigan’s search.
During his show, Pate discussed Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz as a name that is involved.
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Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz greets players and staff as they enter the locker room prior to the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
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Former Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who is now in the same role with Harbaugh’s LA Chargers, also seems like a possibility, but the NFL Chargers likely making the playoffs could make things tricky timeline wise to make that happen. Plus, Minter is very likely to be considered for an NFL job in the near future, meaning the Wolverines would likely have to compete against other NFL teams to hire him.
The clock is ticking with the winter transfer portal window beginning on Jan. 2, so whoever Michigan hires, ideally it would be done before that date comes up.
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Jim Harbaugh discusses texts to Sherrone Moore after firing from Michigan
Michigan football interim head coach says players feel ‘very betrayed’
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