A 29-year-old Memphis police officer was accused of kidnapping and fatally shooting a 30-year-old man who was reported missing – during the service.
Officer Patric Ferguson allegedly used his personal Taurus .357 revolver to force Robert Howard into the back of his vehicle before shooting him and disposing of the body with the help of Joshua Rogers, 28, who was accused of an accomplice to murder.
Memphis police said in a statement that they received a missing persons call on January 6 at 8:30 pm from Howard’s girlfriend, who said he was last seen around 5 pm on Tuesday. The girlfriend used an app to track Howard’s cell phone, which she retrieved. But Howard was not there.
Police say their own internal investigation led them to Ferguson, who allegedly found Howard outside a house and forced him into the vehicle. He then drove several blocks away, where he allegedly shot and killed Howard before working with Rogers to temporarily store the body. The surveillance video from a nearby establishment allegedly shows Ferguson shooting the back of his vehicle.
According to a testimony reported in the local media, during the service, Ferguson used his cell phone to research “cleaning up crime scenes” and “how to destroy DNA evidence”. He would also have bought concrete blocks, chains and padlocks with the intention of hiding the body.
A second statement states that Ferguson recruited Rogers to help move the body and that the bloody towels found in his car were used to clean up the evidence. The search for a home revealed Ferguson’s revolver used in the fatal shooting.
The statement also says that Rogers worked with Ferguson to wrap Howard’s body before moving it temporarily to his home. Rogers then sold the vehicle he used to transport the body, which was later recovered, according to the police report.
“Nobody is above the law,” said Memphis police director Mike Rallings in a statement. “Knowing that a Memphis police officer, someone who has sworn to protect and serve, made the decision to commit this horrible crime is devastating. His actions were not those of a police officer and should not reflect on fellow police officers. “