FLASH-BANG EVIDENCE SHEDS LITTLE LIGHT

Flash-bang residue tests on the clothing of a teen who plunged to his
death from a balcony during a police raid were inconclusive, a
fatality inquiry heard yesterday.

The inquiry into the Sept. 24, 1999, deaths of Adam Miller, 21, and
Huu Pham, 15, who plunged from a fourth-floor balcony at 12925 65 St.,
heard that a police dog handler saw Pham wearing a T-shirt and track
pants moments before he died. But the forensics officer who collected
Pham's belongings for evidence said yesterday he only found the boy's
pants.

"When I received the bag, the top was open," said Const. Steve
Jones.

When questioned by Tom Engel, the lawyer for the Miller family, Jones
said he agreed it would be "highly irregular" for a T-shirt not to be
turned over to him in light of the dog handler's statement.

Two flash-bangs were used in the raid - one was tossed in the front
door and another towards the balcony. Engel says the diversionary
devices may have played a role in the deaths of the young men. But
forensics Const. Dave Bittman told the inquiry he found no flash-bang
residue on the balcony.

Bittman was called to the scene at 10:40 a.m. that day, but he and
Jones could not get into the suite until 12:15 p.m.

After about 35 minutes of examination, they left. But Bittman was
called back to re-examine the balcony by a senior officer. He returned
at 2:25 p.m. and spent about 20 minutes studying the balcony, he said.

"Directly on the floor, on the carpet and on the linoleum, was
flash-bang residue," he said. "That is what I was looking for. This
was my first exposure to flash-bang residue."

Bittman said he took a sample of the residue from the kitchen floor
for comparison.

"There was nothing on that balcony which was consistent with the
residue on the floor."

Engel suggested evidence may have been contaminated by the presence of
other cops, who may have been on the balcony between Bittman's
inspections.

"To my knowledge, nothing had been changed or altered on that balcony
with respect to residue," Bittman said.