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| Roland Carnaby |
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Man killed by police may have been CIA
KPRC-TV
Tue April 29, 2008
Area: Houston
HOUSTON - Police are trying to verify whether a man officers shot and killed after a chase was a CIA agent," KPRC Local 2 reported on Wednesday.
Investigators found credentials that showed Roland Carnaby, 52, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Carnaby died after a nearly hour-long police chase Tuesday morning that started on Highway 288 and ended on Woodway.
Friends and family said there was proof inside Carnaby's SUV that he was an intelligence officer, as they claimed.
Investigators are working to verify the documents and Carnaby's real identity.
"There are credentials in the car that we have seized and that was the indication -- that he worked with the CIA," said Capt. Steve Jett with the Houston Police Department.
Police said a top CIA official was headed to Houston to verify the documents. The CIA did not comment.
"They could have been made up. They look authentic, but you can do a lot of things with a computer," Jett said.
As condolences poured into the Carnaby home in Pearland, his family proudly showed off pictures, plaques and other mementos that they said confirmed Carnaby's distinguished service to his country.
The family said the reason for all the confusion was that Carnaby went by other names. A book signed by the former director of the CIA was autographed to "Tony" -- one of his aliases.
"Mr. Carnaby never mentioned to me that he was a CIA agent," said David Adler, a former CIA officer.
Adler said he recently met Carnaby at a dinner for the local chapter for the Association of Intelligence Officers. Carnaby was the president.
"He certainly seemed like a nice guy. He did not strike me as irrational or unusual," Adler said.
Adler said he was stunned by Tuesday's chase and shooting. He said Carnaby's bizarre actions are an example of how someone in the CIA would not behave.
"There is no legitimate reason for a CIA officer in the U.S. to have weapons in his car. And certainly, there's no legitimate reason for a CIA officer in the U.S. to not comply with uniformed local law enforcement officers," Adler said. "They certainly don't engage in this sort of dangerous behavior that happened yesterday."
Police said that they believe Carnaby was reaching for a cell phone and not one of the three weapons in his car, as first thought.
"He did not grab the gun. The officers presumed that's what he was grabbing and the pistol was in relatively close proximity to where he was reaching," Jett said.
Carnaby had a concealed carry permit, which would not be needed if he were an intelligence agent.
His family released the following statement.
"He lived and breathed his work, loved his country and risked his life for it on an ongoing basis. My family and his associates in the intelligence community believe he deserves real acknowledgement for his many years of service," said Robert A. Kouts, Carnaby's brother-in-law.
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