Police Recover Murder Weapon

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 23, 2020
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects | Uncategorized | Victims |

During a murder trial Jan. 22, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified to recovering a firearm that the murder defendant allegedly dropped in a grassy, wooded area. The area was located a few blocks away from the crime scene.

Marquette Tibbs was charged with first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, robbery while armed firearm, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He allegedly shot Orlando Silver III, 37, on the 1300 block of Howard Road, SE, in 2016.

The MPD officer said he used a lookout description of the suspect, which he received through radio dispatch to canvas the area. Once confirming that an individual matched the description, the officer pursued Tibbs.

According to the officer, Tibbs threw the firearm into a grassy-wooded area and continued running past two fences in the woods. The officer said he was faced with a difficult decision after losing sight of Tibbs.

“Immediately I stopped and had to make a decision to stop or to pursue him,” said the officer.

When Tibbs disposed of the firearm, the officer was able to identify that it was a dark object. After a thorough canvas of the area, which took about 8-10 minutes, he said he spotted the firearm.

“Immediately I had to let the dispatcher know I had indeed a weapon recovery on the 2500 block of Pomeroy.”

According to the MPD officer, he stayed with the firearm to ensure it wasn’t moved or tampered with. Meanwhile he reported on the radio a lookout description of Tibbs.

Another officer apprehended Tibbs. In order to identify that it was the same suspect, the first officer went to Tibb’s location, while a different officer stayed with the firearm. With a silent head nod, the officers were in compliance that this was their suspect.

Despite a forensic scientist obtaining 15 fingerprints from the scene, a representative from the Department of Forensic Sciences said that only five of the fingerprints had enough quality to go through the analyzation process.

According to the representative, five fingerprints of value were recovered. The department found one sample, which was a print of a left palm, on the hood that matched with Tibbs.

According to the representative the other prints that could not be matched to the victim, Cinquan Cartledge, who is also charged with the murder, or Tibbs.

Corrine Simon wrote this story.