A federal grand jury in Memphis, Tennessee, has returned an eight-count indictment against former Memphis Police Officer Patric J. Ferguson.
The indictment charges Ferguson with federal civil rights violations, kidnapping, and weapons offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of a victim identified as R.H.
Additionally, Ferguson and civilian Joshua M. Rogers face federal charges for allegedly conspiring to cover up the shooting and destroying evidence.
Rogers is also charged with accessory after the fact for assisting Ferguson in concealing his crimes.
The indictment alleges that on January 5, 2021, while on duty as a Memphis Police Department officer, Ferguson kidnapped and fatally shot R.H. in the head.
Following the shooting, Ferguson allegedly collaborated with Rogers to cover up the incident by disposing of R.H.’s body in the Wolf River in Memphis. Rogers is further accused of selling the car used to transport R.H.’s body at a scrap metal dealership.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office announced the indictment.
The FBI Memphis Field Office and Memphis Police Department conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard for the Western District of Tennessee, along with Trial Attorneys Maura White and Tenette Smith of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section, will prosecute the case.
