Memphis Police Officer Patric Ferguson has been arrested for the murder of Robert Howard. Howard was reported missing on January 6, 2021. Officer Ferguson is accused of using his department issued pistol to force Howard into the back of his patrol car before murdering him while on duty. He is charged with first degree murder, first degree murder in perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. A second man, Joshua Rogers is charged with helping Ferguson cover up the crime.
According to a statement issued by the Memphis Police Department (MPD) the victim's girlfriend reported him missing after using an app to track his cellphone, found the phone, but not her boyfriend. A police investigation followed during which they learned that Officer Ferguson was known to the victim, encouraged him to exit the home he shared with his girlfriend, used his department issued pistol to persuade him to enter the back of his patrol car, drove him to a secluded area, and shot him. Police told the media that they executed a search warrant on Ferguson's patrol vehicle and found bloody towels during the search. They also said that Ferguson confessed after he was arrested. You can read the MPD's full statement in the PDF uploaded with this article.
Officer Ferguson was promptly arrested and immediately relieved of duty. He is being held without bail in Shelby County Jail. The Shelby County website contains the following information about Ferguson:
Name: Patric Ferguson
Sex: M
DOB: 10/12/1991
Height: 6'01"
Weight :255
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Medium
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Medium Brown
Inmate Information
Booking # :21100396
Race: Black
Permanent ID #: 517936
Ethnicity: Non-Hispanic or Latino
State ID: Marital
Status: Single
Citizen: UNITED STATES
Country of Birth: UNITED STATES
Incarceration Information
Current Housing Section :3
Current Location: JMS
Current Housing Block: H
County:
Current Housing Cell: 07
Commitment Date: 01/10/2021
Current Housing Bed: L
Bond Information
Case #: 21000657
Amount: $0.00
Percent:
Additional:
Total: $0.00
Bond Type: No Bond
SetStatus: No Bond
Posted By:
Post Date: 01/10/2021
Grand Total: $0.0
Charge Information
Case #: 21000657 Date: 01/10/20 Code: 2121179 Description: ABUSE OF CORPSEFE
Case #: 21000657 Date: 01/10/20 Code: 2121137 Description: TAMPERING WITH/FABRICATING EVIDENCEFC
Case #: 21000657 Date: 01/10/20 Code: 2121015 Description: FIRST DEGREE MURDERFM
Case #: 21000657 Date: 01/10/20 Code: 2121015 Description: FIRST DEGREE MURDERFM
Case #: 21000657 Date: 01/10/20 Code: 2121265 Description: ESPECIALLY AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPINGFA
According to public records Patric Jameel Ferguson is 29 years old, resided in Memphis, and had one prior traffic ticket.
It is cases like this one that show why resisting arrest should not be a crime and that self defense laws should be applied equally to anyone that resists any attempt by an officer to place them in the backseat of a patrol car. Just because this type of thing does not happen very often does not mean that there is not a risk whenever an officer is allowed to put someone in the back of a police vehicle. There is currently a double standard that permits officers to use deadly force whenever they think someone might have a weapon. That same logic should empower citizens to resist arrest by any means necessary whenever they think an officer might intent to harm them while in custody.