Posted on 06/03/2002 5:16:38 AM PDT by GailA
Medical examiner ambushed Bomb, barbed wire, acid used in attack on Smith
By Yolanda Jones yojones@gomemphis.com June 3, 2002
An attacker ambushed Shelby County Medical Examiner Dr. O. C. Smith Saturday night, wrapped him from head to toe in barbed wire and strapped a bomb to his body.
Police said Smith left his office at about 10 and was headed to the parking lot when someone threw an acid-like substance in his face to subdue him.
For nearly three hours, he was unable to move or shout for help because of the barbed wire in his mouth.
A security guard spotted Smith's vehicle in the parking lot, became suspicious and found Smith about 12:30 a.m. Sunday outside the office building in the medical center.
The police bomb squad was called to free Smith because of the device bound to his body. Smith was taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis and treated for cuts, bruises and a chemical burn to his face.
Released early Sunday, Smith went back to his office to help investigators work the case.
"This is his character," said Deputy Chief R. G. Wright of the Memphis police. "He is always willing to help out and always go the extra mile no matter what."
Sunday, police had more questions than answers.
"Yes, this was a functioning device that could have caused serious injuries or killed somebody," said Gene Marquez, resident agent in charge of the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office in Memphis.
This is the second time in the last three months a bomb or explosive device has been left on the doorstep of the Shelby County Regional Forensic Center, which houses the morgue and the Medical Examiner's Office.
On March 13, a bomb and two smaller explosive-type devices were found in a stairwell of the building at 1060 Madison.
At the time, local and federal agents couldn't say for sure if Smith and his staff were the targets.
Saturday's attack on Smith left police with little doubt about the focus of the attack but no answers as to why.
"We don't know a motive and aren't making any assumptions as to why anyone would want to hurt Dr. Smith," said Wright.
During a noon press conference, Memphis police and ATF agents wouldn't disclose specifics of the investigation such as information about a suspect or details about the device. Authorities said Smith was found on an outside stairway on the west side of the forensic center building. It was near the area where the bomb and other devices were found in March.
"All we can say is the components of this device are similar to the one found in March," said Marquez. "Both are not very sophisticated and are very similar, but until we finish the investigation we can't say if the two are connected."
When the device was removed from Smith, police X-rayed it to see if it was an explosive device. When they determined it was a bomb, they sent it to the ATF lab in Atlanta for further analysis.
Today, the ATF's National Response Team, made up of agents who are experts on explosive devices and who specialize in profiling bombers, will arrive in Memphis.
"This is the cream of the cream," Marquez said. "We are planning to saturate this investigation and team up with local police on this matter immediately."
The ATF also is offering a $5,000 reward for information about the case.
The Commercial Appeal could not reach Smith, who was placed under heavy security, for comment.
Smith, 49, is one of several local forensic science specialists who help investigate criminal cases.
Last year, anonymous letters threatened harm to Smith, a prosecution witness in the long-running case of convicted Memphis cop killer Philip Workman.
Smith said at the time that he had not received any letters himself but was taking the threats "very seriously."
Workman's attorneys had challenged the validity of Smith's ballistics and laboratory tests. Smith said the tests proved Workman's bullet killed Memphis police Lt. Ronald Oliver in 1981.
In one letter, the writer called Smith a liar and said, "Long have I waited for my HOLY ORDER to fight against the DOCTOR-KILLER abortionists but now I know OUR LORD was saving me for something larger."
"I know Dr. Smith has worked several big cases, but I can't imagine who would want to hurt him," said Wright. "That is what we are working on now to find out."
Known for his precision and thorough work, Smith is highly regarded by police and prosecutors and defense attorneys as well.
"In the 1994 case where we found three homicide victims hidden in the cemetery, Dr. Smith was right there down in the graves working hard like always," said Wright.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH or the ATF hotline at (888) ATF-BOMB.
- Yolanda Jones: 529-2380
Sure is. Yeh, and the Tyson-Lewis fight might create a lot more of something wrong going down in Tennessee. But, let's hope not.
At this point all we can do is conjecture. I personally believe it is connected to the DD/middle easterners.
I use the same reasoning out here in Kali whenever a gross murder is committed or really whacked out crime of violence like this one. My poor wife and DIL don't even call me a red necked racist any more when I use the same reasoning and deduction/elimination that you did.
My oldest son learned not to bet me on situations like this. I took him for a $100 bet right after he was graduated from college. He is still about $85,000 ahead on the deal with the Grampa Dave scholarship funding program for he and his brother. He's a smart kid and never bets his old man any more.
Of course it produced the famous father son/Goron team.
The Black Panthers used to do stuff like this to their own and to people who tried to stop them.
Many of the old Black Panthers are now Black Muslims like Rap Brown. Same old racist killers with a new ism to cover for them. As this Jihad in America and al Fuqra stuff really starts to be exposed, we will see the American Black Muslims up to their eyeballs in support of the Islamic terrorists.
Body of Missing Biologist Found
The Workman case:
Last June, during court hearings on convicted cop killer Philip Workman's attempt to avoid execution, authorities received an anonymous letter threatening Smith. The letter accused Smith of lying and called Workman a ``LAMB OF GOD.'' ``Long have I waited for my HOLY ORDER to fight against the DOCTOR-KILLER abortionists, but now I know OUR LORD was saving me for something larger,'' it said.
I do not believe the suspect mentioned above would have stoped without killing the Doctor.
The real Islamic Muslims probably laugh and sneer at them. But now the American Black Muslims are a great political tool to prevent profiling at airports and other police/investigation methods of ferreting out Islamic terrorists in America.
Thanks, Shermy, and to you too too, JDGreen123. You may both find the recent and past archived mumblings and whinings of the Memphis Da'wah Muslim group to be of interest.
-archy-/-
At this point all we can do is conjecture. I personally believe it is connected to the DD/middle easterners.
And after Workman, however it eventually turns out, yet another wonderful high-profile case that's REALLY going to cause a stink and squawking to the high heavens. I can hardly wait.
-archy-/-
Memphis is very much an organized crime town, though you'd never know it to read the local papers or watch local TV stations. But both the son of mob financial wizard Meyer Lansky settled here, as did Jimmy Hoffa';s adopted son Chucky English, said to have been one of the last witnesses to see Hoffa at the Detroit northside Macchus Red Fox Restaurant, itself now also hors de combat.
After the death of Newawleans mob boss Carlo Marcello, many of the remaining former Big Easy mob family members drifted off to various corners, including Baton Rouge, Biloxi- and Memphis, some still working in the Marcello family interest, hotelry.
On most Memphis mornings many of *the boys* and their flunkies can be found at a Memphis hotel all-you-can eat buffet brunch, where the topics of the day and some business matters are discussed. But not all of them.
To the uninitiated, their table resembles a Chamber of Commerce meeting. Memphis is just *that way.*
-archy-/-
This personal attack on the forensic scientist is unusual because there was the opportunity to kill him. This was also a personal attack as opposed to the other bombs placed that put evidence from crimes under investigation at risk.
Then there was the scientist who "fell"-"jumped"-"was tossed" off the bridge. he was nosey too but it's unlikely that the mob would be too nervous about his research.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.