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Girlfriend Of Slain Officer Meets With Attorney, Won't Speak To Police

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Since Friday evening, Pembroke Pines Police have been attempting to interview the girlfriend of the Miami Police officer found dead in his home last weekend.

At this point, Tiniko Thompson,  a Miami Police aide, hasn't spoken to police about the death of her boyfriend, Officer Carl Patrick.

But now, for the first time, her attorney Roderick Vereen, says he will responded to repeated requests by Pembroke Pines police for him to call them.

"I don't know what the Pembroke Pines police department is going to do," said Vereen. "I will reach out to the detective handling the investigation."

Thompson left her family's home with her attorney, Roderick Vereen, on Wednesday morning, and returned an hour later. No word on where they went, and Thompson refused to speak.

Vereen, told CBS4′s Natalia Zea, she will not speak to investigators and if they feel she's done something wrong, they'll have to arrest her.

"Attorneys often tell their clients to keep their mouths shut until it's time to testify in case the case gets to that point," said Vereen. "Her family members have testified under subpoena. As her attorney I have to protect her rights and so self defense is an affirmative defense. It's a defense a person raises when accused of committing a crime. So if she is forced to testify we will of course argue this was self defense."

He says like all defense attorneys he advises his clients to stay quiet if they could face prosecution.

"We don't know if she'll be investigated for anything," he said. "If so, her side of the story will come out. I don't expect anything except for law enforcement to do their job. I don't anticipate whether she'll be arrested or not. I don't know what the investigation is unfolding. I have been in this situation before where other clients did not get arrested when somebody died. Of course I think they are going to look at this more carefully because law enforcement is involved."

Zea also asked Vereen about the reports that Thompson disappeared for 48 hours in Patrick's car and spent most of her time under a bridge before telling her mother about the shooting and having her call 911.

It's not known if that delay cost Patrick his life.

"People act differently under stressful situation," he said. "When I hear the public talk about what someone could have done, what someone should have done, well that is somebody who has not traveled a mile in somebody's footsteps. They don't know what trauma that person was going through at the time."

He said, "This is the way she dealt with this at this particular time and it is what it is. We can't change the facts. I wish we could. Emotionally and psychologically she is not doing well at al. She's just upset. This is a man she loved. This was a very unfortunate situation for all sides. It is a sad and tragic story. This is about a relationship that went sour. Unfortunately there was an altercation and as a result someone lost their life."

"I don't whether she will be investigated or not," Vereen said. "If she is her side of the story will come out."

Vereen said even though Thompson loved Patrick, she will not attend funeral services for him because of the current circumstances of the case.

Police have not named Thompson a suspect.

"We're taking every possible thing into consideration. We're not focusing solely on one suspect or perhaps more than one suspect. More than anything we'd like the opportunity to question Ms. Thompson and we've attempted to do but as of now we haven't received any return calls from her attorney," said Pembroke Pines Police Dept. Captain Al Xiques.

Xiques told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that there was no timetable on how long the investigation will take. He says the probe will be a thorough one.

Vereen says he will return investigators' calls but will not make his client available unless she is granted immunity.

According to Vereen, Thompson and Patrick, 52, argued last Wednesday morning as he got dressed for work. When reached for his gun, the two struggled over it and Patrick pulled the trigger, according to Vereen.

"At the end of the day, she defended herself. She did not pull the trigger on the firearm. He pulled the trigger himself," said Vereen.

On Monday, Vereen released pictures which showed bruises on Thompson's arms, and near her eye, and a cut on her chin. According to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald, Thompson said Patrick had abused her for the last two years.

Neighbors were surprised to learn of the abuse allegations.

"There was never any kind of abuse that I ever saw. I never saw them fight or anything," one woman said. "Even if it was an accident, why wouldn't you say something to try to help him? That's my concern on it. He's your boyfriend. Whether there's abuse or something you don't let somebody die."

After the shooting, according to the Herald, Thompson panicked. She reportedly washed the blood off her clothes and then wrote a note explaining how Patrick had shot himself. She reportedly left the home in his car and slept in it for two days until she contacted her mother and told her what had happened. Thompson's mother then called the police.

Patrick's body was discovered by police on Friday.

Thompson's mother said she had not spoken to her daughter since she called to tell her what had happened.

On Wednesday, Broward State Attorney's Office investigators visited the Opa-locka home of Thompson's mother. Later in the day, attorney Clinton Pitts showed up at the Opa-locka home and left with Thompson's mother and two other family members who Pitts said had received subpoenas.

"They told them the truth about whatever they asked them," said Pitts.

Carl Patrick / Officer Killed
(Source: Twitter/ @JavierOrtizFOP)

Patrick's mother is now planning her son's funeral, with the help of the Miami Police Chief.

"She's a mother of one of our officers and I just want to provide her reassurance we'll do everything possible to keep her son's memory in our police department," said Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa.

A visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, May 16th, at Miami Shores Christian Church at 10150 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami Shores. Patrick's funeral will be the following day at 1 p.m. at Trinity Church at 17801 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami.

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