From [HERE] Jonesboro Police released a report and additional audio interviews from Chavis Carter's girlfriend and a woman who was on scene at the traffic stop the night Carter died in the back of a Jonesboro patrol car. Investigators have ruled 21-year-old Chavis Carter's July 28 death a suicide. The documents released Thursday don't shed much new light on how Carter wound up in the back of a patrol car while armed with a pistol.

Nothing revealed thus far proves who pulled the trigger. The medical examiners did not test for gunshot residue on Carter’s hands to determine if he had actually fired the .380-caliber handgun police say was used in the slaying. The police have not released any ballistics or other reports that might shed further light on the case one way or the other. That said, even if this was a suicide, the Jonesboro police involved are still, at bare minimum, guilty of being incompetent and responsible for the death:

“If it did happen [the way police said Carter's death occurred,] the police still have entire responsibility for it because when they take someone into custody, they’re responsible for his health and welfare,” Baden said. “If he dies in their custody they’re responsible. At the least, we’re talking about very sloppy police work — not finding a gun that he could have used to shoot one of the officers — and it’s indicative of poor training of the officers.”

As to what should have happened after the shooting, Baden said police should have thoroughly examined the police car for gunshot residue.

“They should examine whether there is blood and gunshot residue on the roof of the car, the back seat etc., because blood spatters and smoke and residue would land on the roof, the back of the seat and on [Carter's] hands,” Baden said, adding that such an examination “would permit reconstruction of how the hands were positioned at the time of discharge” of the firearm. [MORE]