| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Profile |
|
| |
Name: Timothy William Berner
(Tim Smith, Don Jones, Vic)
|
|
| |
Sex: Male |
|
| |
Race: White |
|
| |
Date of Death: Jul 25, 2004 |
|
| |
Age at Time of Death: 33 |
|
| |
Height: 6'4" |
|
| |
Weight: 220 lbs. |
|
| |
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Brown
May have shaved off his hair or dyed it |
|
| |
Eyes (Color and Correction): Blue
Contact Lenses |
|
| |
Other Physical Characteristics: Weight fluctuates, likely thinner now
Has piercing blue eyes |
|
| |
Wanted for :
Murder, Sterling Heights, MI;
Jun 04, 2004
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Location(s) |
|
| |
Last Seen : Mount Clemens, MI
Berner was last seen after the shooting, at a bar in nearby Mount Clemens, MI.
There is a possible sighting of Berner in Alger, MI |
|
| |
Possible Location : Alger, MI
Nova Scotia, Canada
Bristol, TN
Michigan
Windsor, Canada
Pennsylvania
Toledo, OH
Berner once tried to get a job as a stripper in Windsor, Ontario, but was kept from immigrating by Border Patrol. |
|
| |
Last Known : Unkown |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Traits |
|
| |
Born and raised in Michigan |
|
| |
Has bad eyesight - needs contacts, may be wearing glasses |
|
| |
Police say he has numerous drunk driving arrests. |
|
| |
Has previously worked as a roofer and home construction (siding) |
|
| |
Previously worked as a bouncer |
|
| |
"Other than honorably" discharged from the United States Marine Corps |
|
| |
Desert Storm veteran |
|
| |
Adopted |
|
| |
Has family in Pennsylvania |
|
| |
Police say he is known to drink heavily. |
|
| |
Favorite drink is Jack and Coke |
|
| |
Also drinks Absolut and Tonics |
|
| |
Likes to work out |
|
| |
Previously competed as a body builder |
|
| |
Cops say he has used steroids in the past |
|
| |
Previously a semi-pro wrestler, stage name was Vic Vengeance |
|
| |
Police say he has anger management issues |
|
| |
Cops say he has used crack cocaine in the past |
|
| |
Smokes cigarettes - Favorite brand is Newports—brown filters |
|
| |
Police say he likes to frequent strip clubs and gentlemen's clubs |
|
| |
Police say he is armed and dangerous — has a single-barrel, pistol grip shotgun; and a police-issued handgun |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Case Story |
|
| |
Update In Accused Cop Killer Case |
|
| |
A tip came into the Berner Task Force with a sighting of Timothy Berner on June 5th (one day after the murder of Officer Mark Sawyers). The tipster was driving down Interstate 75 in Alger, MI when he spotted two men on the side of the road who appeared to need help, and he pulled over. The tipster reported seeing a red Camaro like Timothy Berner's being loaded onto a black, shiny enclosed car hauler. That was being pulled by a two-tone blue and gray extended cab older-model pickup.
The tipster was able to identify Timothy Berner's picture in a photo lineup. The eyewitness also described the other man as a white male in his twenties with curly hair and a pock-marked face.
It was the best lead police had at the time. Since Berner's suicide, police have not yet been able to confirm the information.
At the time of his death, Berner still had the red Camaro, and police say it contained many valuable clues tying Berner to Mark's murder and his activities during his month on the run. Police have found no tangible proof of Berner renting a car hauler, but are interested in identifying the unknown male in this sighting who may have unwittingly helped an accused cop killer. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Caught On Camera |
|
| |
In the entire history of its police department, Sterling Heights, Michigan had never before had an officer murdered in the line of duty -- until Friday, June 4th, 2004.
Police say Tim Berner changed that. Police Officer Mark Sawyers was sitting in his patrol car around 8:30 pm that Friday. Officer Sawyers was filling out an incident report on a recent car accident. He sat in the quiet parking lot of a Target store, bending over to fill out his paperwork. Cops say that's when Timothy Berner in a red Chevy Camaro pulled along the passenger side of Mark's police cruiser. Police say Berner fired a single shot from a shotgun into the back of Officer Sawyer's head. Cops say Berner stole Mark's handgun and fled the scene.
A surveillance camera from a nearby bank ATM recorded Berner's vehicle fleeing the scene. Interestingly enough, the ATM also recorded other images of Berner's vehicle following other cop cars. Cops say Berner had been stalking cops that afternoon, looking for the right opportunity. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Cop Hero Mowed Down In His Prime |
|
| |
Officer Sawyers had joined the Sterling Heights Police Department just seven months earlier. Prior to joining the force he was a police officer in Detroit for three years. Officer Sawyers leaves behind a wife and eleven-month old daughter. There is a $25,000 reward for Timothy Berner's arrest, offered through the Sterling Heights Police Department. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|