LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Family and community members and civil rights advocates gathered in Lansing on Friday to call for changes in policing in Michigan.
Their meeting comes after the death of Samuel Sterling And Riley Dogget in western Michigan.
“Mothers don’t have to go through this. I don’t care what skin color you are. Nobody should have to run over your child,” said Andrica Cage, Sterling’s mother.
Sterling was hit by a Michigan State Police officer on April 17. According to attorneys Ven Johnson and Ben Crump, Sterling was fleeing police when he was struck by an unmarked MSP vehicle.
“That man who killed my son – who pinned him against the wall. The video shows it clearly,” Cage said.
Sterling later died from his injuries, his lawyers said. In the weeks since, Detective Sergeant Brian Keely has been charged with manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The family and friends of Sterling and his attorneys gathered in Lansing on Friday to push for change in the justice system.
“If a police officer breaks the law here in Michigan, we must be consistent and treat him like we would treat anyone of our own who is not him,” Johnson said. “They’re still presumed innocent, they’re still getting the lawyers. But I’ll tell you what they shouldn’t do, they shouldn’t hide behind an investigation.”
Keely retired from his position at MSP in the days before his arraignment.
Elle Meijers
