Affidavit: Man ‘faked crying’ when asked about gun in Clinton police officer killing

A Clinton, Mo., man who led investigators to the rifle allegedly used to kill police officer Gary Michael told police he found it at his house after the shooting.

William G. Noble told police he threw the rifle into a body of water, and on Thursday led investigators to the site, according to an affidavit filed in Henry County Circuit Court.

Noble, 35, is now charged with felony evidence tampering.

Ian McCarthy, also of Clinton, is charged with murder in the shooting late Sunday night of officer Gary Michael.

McCarthy fled after he allegedly shot the officer during at a traffic stop in Clinton.

McCarthy was arrested Tuesday and had an initial court appearance scheduled Friday.

As part of the investigation into Michael’s killing, officers went to talk to Noble at his home in Clinton on Thursday morning, according to the affidavit filed to support the charge against Noble.

The affidavit did not say why officers wanted to talk to him, but they told him they wanted to see guns he owned.

When Noble asked what kind of weapon was used to kill the officer, an investigator with the highway patrol told him, “He knew the answer to this question,” according to the affidavit.

“Noble acted like he was visibly upset and faked crying,” according to the affidavit. “I asked him why he was fake crying and he said he had sold the firearm to McCarthy.”

But Noble then “changed his story” and said McCarthy had asked him to buy the weapon for him.

The affidavit does not say what type of weapon it is or when he bought it.

The officers then asked Noble if he knew where the gun was.

“Noble stared at me for about a minute, blankly looking straight through me,” the trooper wrote.

He then told them that he had been out Sunday night, but when he came home about 2 a.m. Monday he found the rifle inside the doorway.

“Noble said he panicked, told his wife he needed to take out the trash, took the gun and drove north of town,” according to the affidavit.

On Thursday, the officers drove him to the location outside the city and found the gun in water near the intersection of NW 300th and NW 131st roads.

Noble is now being held in the Henry County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond.

This story was originally published August 11, 2017 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Affidavit: Man ‘faked crying’ when asked about gun in Clinton police officer killing."