Advanced technologies utilized in the reconstruction of an officer-involved shooting incident

Abstract

This paper presents a case study that utilized many of the latest forensic technologies to reconstruct the events that occurred during an officer-involved shooting incident in which a police officer fatally shot a fellow police officer. The shooting reconstruction utilized 3-D high-definition laser scanning, “matchmoving” of police helicopter infrared video footage, motion capture, photogrammetry, creation of a 3-D interactive virtual shooting scene, and virtual reality display systems. It also outlines how the trajectory of bullets were reconstructed, and how the position and posture of the shooting officer and victim officer were determined. Finally, federal judge rulings on various Daubert motions (509 U.S. 579 [1993]) to exclude or limit testimony of expert witnesses are presented.