KENTWOOD, Mich. — The death of a probation absconder during an attempt to take him into custody has been ruled an accident by the medical examiner.
Samuel Sterling's death certificate, which FOX 17 obtained through an open records request, shows the Kent County Medical Examiner determined the 25-year-old's death was caused by multiple blunt force traumas. The examiner recorded his passing as an accident.
The full autopsy report is not yet available.
Sterling died on April 17 after being his by an unmarked Michigan State Police cruiser. The trooper behind the wheel, who is currently suspended, was part of a fugitive task force that was attempting to take Sterling into custody.
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Theinvestigation into the deadly police action is being handled by the Michigan State Police Fifth District Investigative Unit. Sterling's family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump along with Ven Johnson to represent them.
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