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Baltimore Police ask FBI to take over Detective Suiter's murder investigation

Posted at 12:23 PM, Dec 01, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-01 17:21:15-05

Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said his mind was made up earlier this week but today, he sent a letter to the director of the FBI asking the bureau to investigate the shooting death of Detective Sean Suiter.

RELATED: Feds unseal case in which slain Detective Sean Suiter was to testify

"As I stated in my letter I am uncomfortable right now that we just don't have all the pieces to the puzzle and yesterday's indictment revelation was an example of finding out information that I just didn't know before," Davis said.

Information like the names of others involved in the 2010 case where the feds say already indicted officer Wayne Jenkins planted evidence in a car after a high speed chase and had a “clueless” Sean Suiter recover them.

ABC2 News has confirmed that officer number 2 in the indictment unsealed Thursday is Ryan Guinn who the commissioner announced today is now suspended.

Sources say the other sergeant involved back then was Rick Willard who has been retired from the department since June of 2012.

While Davis was made aware, Suiter was set to testify about the 2010 case the day after he was murdered, the new names and details of it are an example of what his homicide detectives do not and cannot know without the direction of the FBI.

"In the best interest in the integrity of the investigation I just believe it is the right thing to do to ask the FBI to assume the lead on the investigation, to bring that layer of credibility that we need when we talk about this painful case to the community."

Also what Commissioner Davis does not know is just how wide of a net the federal corruption case is casting.

While it started with seven officers of the Gun Trace Task Force in March on cases mainly from 2015 and 2016, it has now spread to nine officers, two states, and as we learned yesterday, goes as far back as 2010.

Still, with all that Commissioner Kevin Davis reiterated again today, he does not believe the testimony Sean Suiter was prepared to give against Wayne Jenkins is connected to his murder.

"I made that statement and I stand by it because that is what I have been told by the FBI and the U.S.  Attorney's Office,” Davis said, “They told me then and tell me now, as recently as today that they do not believe that Sean Suiter's pending grand jury testimony has any connection to the Broken Boundaries corruption investigation."

If the FBI accepts the Baltimore Police Department's request, and there is no reason to believe it will not, the murder of homicide Detective Sean Suiter is now a federal case.

Commissioner Kevin Davis released the letter he sent to the FBI asking them to take the lead.