Mock Homicide Exercise Gives Small City Detectives Practice for Rare Occurance

If you walked or drove by the Lake Forest Park Civic Center  Thursday morning and early afternoon, you might have wondered what the police were doing.

No one has been murdered in Lake Forest Park in its 50 years as a city, as far as detective Tony Matthews knows, but the city’s police department wants to be prepared in case it happens someday.

 The department along with 10 other small city police agencies in King County held a mock homicide training exercise Thursday at the Lake Forest Park Civic Center.

 The effort, led by LFP police detective Matthews, a 14-year veteran of the force, gave detectives from Duvall, Mercer Island, Medina, Clyde Hill, Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Carnation, Pacific, Algona and Normandy Park the opportunity to investigate a crime that rarely happens in their jurisdictions.

The scenario used involved a father of a bride who is checking out the Civic Center where his daughter’s wedding will take place. An apparent miscommunication over the date it will be available with the caretaker leads to argument and later a fight. The angry father goes out to his car gets a gun and shoots the caretaker in the abdomen while the caretaker is standing in the north entrance to the hall. As the caretaker stumbles back into the hall, the father shoots him in the shoulder and finally in the head killing him. He spits on the caretaker before he leaves but steps in some of the blood as he flees the scene. As the father drives away he tries to throw the gun in a dumpster but it glances off the top and onto the ground under some trees.

 The detectives had to get a warrant from Lake Forest Park municipal Judge Linda Portnoy before investigating the scene. Dressed in white suits, they marked traces of blood, shell casings, a bullet and other evidence with numbered markers before taking photos. Fingerprints were found on the door. The collected evidence would help them build a case so the prosecutor, in this case, Jeff Baird of King County, can craft a persuasive story for the jury to hear that will lead to a conviction.

 “Everything when it’s brought together in court will convict suspects,” Matthews said.

 The suspect for the excercise, who would later be found and interviewed, was LFP city administrator David Cline.  Two LFP citizens served as neighbors and witnesses as did two medics, city records clerk Lee Freeman.