BRIER – A dozen firearms owned by the former mayor of Brier have been seized for tests that may help determine if a crime occurred during a Sept. 12 struggle that ended with the death of a Brier police officer.
The death of Officer Edwanton “Eddie” Thomas, 28, has been attributed to natural causes connected to a pre-existing heart condition, according to an Everett District Court search warrant that became public Monday.
Although the Snohomish County medical examiner has reached that preliminary conclusion, additional tests are pending.
Investigators, meanwhile, are trying to determine if Thomas’ collapse may have occurred during a crime.
Detectives on Oct. 24 obtained court approval to search for fingerprints and genetic evidence on handguns, a shotgun and assault-style rifles, all owned by Gary Starks, a former Brier mayor.
The tests may help determine whether the weapons factored into the struggle that ended in Thomas’ death, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe said Monday.
“Officer Thomas can’t tell us what happened. Sometimes the testing of physical evidence can,” Roe said. “Will it? I don’t know. Might it? That’s why (investigators) got a search warrant to get all these things.”
Detectives told a judge they believe Starks’ firearms may contain evidence of felony murder, or three different levels of assault. They also are investigating unlawful display of a firearm and obstructing police or resisting arrest, court papers show.
Starks has not been charged. He was arrested after Thomas’ death and was set free within hours. Starks’ attorney and others have said the man struggled with Thomas while in an irrational state caused by dangerously low blood sugar connected to diabetes.
The struggle occurred after Thomas was sent to the Starks home on an emergency medical call, one of many to the residence over the years.
Only Starks and the officer were inside the home. Not long after he arrived, the officer signaled that he needed help and twice sent radio messages that he was confronted by somebody with a gun.
When other officers arrived, they found Starks and Thomas in a bedroom of the home. Starks was in handcuffs and Thomas was unconscious and not breathing.
At least three firearms were visible in the bedroom.
Thomas’ handgun was still in its holster, according to court papers.
While Snohomish County Medical Examiner Dr. Norman Thiersch has reached a preliminary conclusion that a health problem figured into Thomas’ death, the officer also “was able to live a productive, active 28-year-old life with this condition,” Snohomish County sheriff’s detective George Wilkins said in an affidavit filed along with the search warrant.
“Facts and circumstances suggest that the life and death struggle he was in with Gary Starks the day he died could have triggered or contributed to Officer Thomas’ death,” Wilkins added. “The ability to prove that the struggle involved a firearm in possession of Gary Starks could be critical in determining what crime or crimes Mr. Starks committed.”
In keeping with another court order, the firearms now being tested were surrendered by Starks’ wife to Mountlake Terrace police two days after Thomas’ death. They’ve since been in police custody.
Police seized 12 firearms for testing, including three Glock semiautomatic handguns; a derringer; a shotgun; and assault-style rifles, including an AR-15, an SKS and a MAK-90.
Herald writer Jackson Holtz contributed to this story.
Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.
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