Gunshot Residue Test At Center Of Investigation Into Officer's Death
PEMBROKE PINES (CBSMiami) - A search warrant obtained exclusively by CBS 4 News reveals that Pembroke Pines Police took a "gunshot residue evidence collection kit" from the home of Miami Police Officer Carl Patrick in the hours after his body was discovered earlier this month.
The search warrant does not reveal the results of the test but it appears that the kit is used to see whether gunpowder is present on a person's hands or body. The attorney for Patrick's girlfriend, Tiniko Thompson, who allegedly fought with Patrick in the morning before he was shot and killed, asserted that Patrick and Thompson struggled over a weapon and that Patrick accidentally shot himself. The gunshot residue test might shed light on exactly who fired the fatal shot.
Search warrants obtained first this past Friday by CBS 4 News reveal that police discovered Patrick's body wrapped in a bed sheet and comforter, covered except for his feet.
The warrants obtained by CBS 4 News today in Broward County show that investigators removed a sheet and comforter from Patrick's home as well as a .40 caliber Glock pistol, prescription medication bottles in Thompson's name, a cell phone, Thompson's purse and a photo of the couple, among other things.
Thompson's lawyer, Roderick Vereen, has maintained that his client -- a City of Miami public service aide -- suffered numerous cuts and bruises during the altercation with Patrick.
The search warrants uncovered on Monday also show that detectives searched Patrick's police car but did not take anything from it.
The search warrants also reveals that when Opa-Locka police went to speak with Thompson at her mother's home following the shooting she refused to answer questions and "Thompson re-entered the residence at which time (she) barricaded herself inside the same."
CBS 4 News was first to uncover this surveillance video showing Thompson at a Miami storage facility just hours after Patrick was killed. The video shows Thompson arriving in Patrick's car and unloading baby items among other things. In the surveillance video taken at a Value Store It facility, Thompson is seen trying to enter the facility at 8:45 a.m. on May 7th, the morning her attorney Rod Vereen said Patrick was shot and killed. His body wasn't discovered until Friday, May 9th. The next day, May 8th, surveillance video shows she came back around 4:15 in the afternoon. She's seen talking on a cell phone, and if she dropped something off, it was small enough to fit in her pockets. She then throws something in a garbage can and leaves, again, in Officer Patrick's car. All the while police say Patrick's body was lying in his Pembroke Pines home, after he was shot to death.
CBS4 News has exclusively obtained the search warrant affidavit which gives new details about the crime scene. It reads in part: "Upon officers making entry a black male was located in the bedroom wrapped in a bed sheet and comforter deceased. The body was completely covered except for his feet."
It also states: "A semi-automatic firearm was observed near his body, blood spatter was observed on the wall near his body as well as blood transfer on the wall." "Blood drops were observed on the bathroom floor bath mats and blood was located on the bathroom towels."
The document also states that it is believed that "Thompson is pregnant with the victim's child."
Investigators say Thompson waited 2 days before asking her mother to contact 911 and report Patrick's death. Her attorney said she panicked and was too frightened to reveal what happened.
We reached out to Tiniko Thompson's attorney for comment on these new developments, he did not get back to us. Tiniko Thompson has not been charged with a crime. Police will only tell us that they are diligently working the case and that they still want to speak with Thompson but have not heard back from her or her lawyer.