(Memphis) – Cell phones proved to be the link between 15-year-old Justin Thompson and Memphis Police Officer Terrance Shaw as the two sent text messages setting up a meeting, that ended with Shaw killing Thompson, who he says was trying to rob him.
After the shooting, police looked at Shaw’s cell phone and say they found pornographic pictures of adult men, in different positions and different body parts. None of the pictures was of 15-year-old Justin Thompson.
There was also a hidden section police couldn’t get to.
Police asked Shaw to unlock the phone.
He refused saying he didn’t feel he needed to and he wanted to talk with his lawyer.
Police even questioned Shaw about his relationship with Justin, asking if it was sexual.
Shaw replied no.
Police: Have you ever touched Justin Thompson in a sexual manner?
Shaw: No. I was only trying to help him.
In fact Shaw told police he never took pictures of Thompson and had no pictures of him on his cell phone.
Police also wanted to know if Shaw was buying drugs from the 15-year-old .
Shaw said he did didn’t use drugs and wasn’t purchasing drugs from Thompson that night.
But Justin’s 17-year-old brother who was with him when he was killed told police Justin was ‘serving some green on someone’ right before the shooting, green meaning marijuana.
In the 911 call Shaw made after shooting Justin Thompson, he failed to mention that he was a cop.
Police say Shaw appeared shocked and confused after the shooting and concerned that they find Justin’s gun, saying, “Check for the evidence, otherwise I am screwed.”
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also looked into the shooting.
Its findings were in the Internal Affairs file we viewed, but we were told we could not look at the results without TBI approval.
We are trying to get that.
Also included in the TBI files, a letter from the District Attorney’s Office about its decision to ‘not’ prosecute Terrence Shaw.