29-year-old Memphis police officer Patric Ferguson has been charged with kidnapping and killing a man while on duty, the Memphis police department revealed.
CNN reports that Ferguson allegedly shot and killed 30-year-old Robert Howard when he forced the man into the back of his squad car. Howard was taken to the Frayser Boulevard and Denver Street, the affidavit notes. The man was last seen at his home on Tuesday, but his girlfriend reported him as missing the next day. She was later able to find his cell hpone, which was by the side of a road nearby.
In an extensive statement released by the MPD, police said Ferguson allegedly acted "on his own accord" and drove Howard for a third of a mile before he shot him. On Ferguson's phone, investigators discovered internet searches regarding cleaning up crime scenes and destroying any DNA evidence. Police also obtained surveillance video showing Ferguson shot Howard "while [...] on duty."
He has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder in perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with or fabricating evidence. "No one is above the law," added MPD Director Michael Rallings. "Knowing that a Memphis Police Officer, someone who took an oath to protect and serve, made the decision to commit this horrific crime is devastating."
A second person believed to be an acquaintance of Ferguson who helped him move Howards' body, 28-year-old Joshua Rogers, has been arrested and charged with accessory to murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with or fabricating evidence. Police have since recovered a body believed to be the victim. Ferguson is being held on no bond, while Rogers was released on a $25,000 bond.
