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Last updated on October 13, 2007
Introduction
Ballistics has been around for quite some time and has played a major part in putting many dangerous criminals behind bars. We touched briefly on what ballistics is in Unit Five when we mentioned it in relation to blood drops. Now, for a better understanding, look at the actual definition of Ballistics and determine the different ways in which it plays a part in crime scene investigation. You will notice that the definition has two parts, one which decribes the physical aspect of something in motion and the second which focuses more on the firearms aspect of the science.
Assignment One
If a shooting has occurred during a crime it will be up to the investigator to identify the direction from which the shot came, the type of weapon and where any stray bullets may have wound up. This may be the first step and it will involve documenting such information as wind speed, muzzle angle and muzzle velocity. Muzzle velocity can be determined by the type of weapon fired while the wind speed and muzzle angle may need to be calculated to best locate any errant bullets. Use the Cannon to try and dial in what an investigator may need to recreate to get a better idea of how a shooting occurred.
Assignment Two
Another telltale piece of evidence is the bullet itself. Every bullet fired from a weapon will have markings particular to that exact weapon. Think of these as a sort of fingerprint for the bullet. Many times an investigation may involve firing a seized weapon to determine a link between that weapon and one used during a crime. Read the section on Firearms Identification and answer the following questions:
What processes make each firearm different?
What are the grooves in the barrel of a weapon called and what is their purpose?
Give at least three other Features that can help identify that a certain bullet or casing came from a particular weapon.
In the PBS Ballistics article they mention class and individual characteristics of weapons. In your own words explain what the difference is between these.