New tool could provide forensic link between suspect and gun

A new forensic evidence tool has been developed that could provide a link between suspect and gun in crime scenes. 

The research has recently been published in Analytical Chemistry, and documents how researchers have managed to develop a tool that employs lasers to match residue to a specific calibre of firearm.

Analytical chemist Jason Birkett of Liverpool John Moores University in England said: "Anything that's going to enhance or expedite the detection of gunshot residue and provide stronger evidentiary value is a way forward.

"This work is very good and very novel and will do nothing but assist."

The researchers tackled gunshot residue using Raman spectroscopy, analysing six kinds of ammunition and assessing organic ingredients such as gunpowder stabilizers rather than metal signatures. By comparing these spectra to the signature in residue from fired guns, they were able to find a particular residue signature for each type of ammunition.

Another team backed these results up, the University of Albany in New York, also using Raman spectroscopy to look for an ammunition signature in gunshot residue. They found that the results were positive, paving the way for Raman spectroscopy to be used more frequently for this forensic analysis.

Posted by Neil Clark