Latest news with #NIBIN
CBS News
21-05-2025
- CBS News
Ballistics technology used by Colorado sheriffs helps solve years-old cases
Jefferson County looks to use ballistics technology more to solve crimes Jefferson County looks to use ballistics technology more to solve crimes Jefferson County looks to use ballistics technology more to solve crimes In Jefferson County, Erin Mulligan sits at her computer in the Colorado county's regional crime lab. It's not quite "CSI: Colorado" but it can sometimes feel that way to her. As a forensic scientist, she works with the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network. Forensic scientist Erin Mulligan CBS "We will log an item here in Colorado," she told CBS Colorado. "There will be a default search area that we go through that will attempt to link shooting scenes." The practice has been used by law enforcement agencies since the early 2000s and has helped establish links between investigations, sometimes spanning years or across state lines. Locally, the Denver Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office were the beneficiaries of the technology to help solve a crime. In March of 2022, a shooting took place in Arvada. No one was injured but evidence was collected from the crime scene, including a bullet casing. NIBIN tends to use shell casings as a way to cross reference gun manufacturers, serial numbers and give investigators something to work with. CBS "There's a proprietary algorithm in this software that just evaluates the similarity of the markings left behind by the firearm," Mulligan explained. Typically, this kind of evidence can sit in the NIBIN database. But every now and then, a link will be provided which will allow agencies to reach out to one another and make a connection. "There's a data point from that linked incident where there's a light bulb or there's a link made," said Mulligan. CBS Which is how Denver police got in touch with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. While investigating another shooting in 2023, DPD sent the casing to their crime lab, who also use NIBIN for their ballistics analysis. The database turned up a hit: the shooting from Arvada in 2022. "The investigators can share those witness statements or the details about each of their investigation and work together," Mulligan added. The suspect, Michael Esadcida, was arrested and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 16 years as the ballistics technology provided a win for NIBIN, law enforcement and public safety.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Inside look: New technology at Jeffco lab links shell casings to crimes across state
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Jefferson County Regional Crime Lab recently used hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to buy new technology that puts shell casings from crime scenes into a database, helping connect and solve cases. FOX31 got into the lab to see how it all works. 'I place the cartridge case in this holder,' Jefferson County Regional Lab Forensic Scientist Erin Mulligan explained during a demonstration. 'Inside the equipment, there are some light sources as well as the camera.' The 3-D images from this new lab equipment go into ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN. Cartridge cases are entered from sites all around the country. Scientists can then search them against other cases in the system to try to link the casings to shooting scenes. 'This takes information for maybe two different crime scenes,' Brent Beavers, Special agent in charge for ATF's Denver Field Division said. 'It might be one has more information, one has less. You put it together. Investigators talk. Now there's an opportunity to solve crimes and prevent future ones.' According to ATF, 13,213 pieces of evidence were submitted to NIBIN in Colorado in 2024. The database generated 60.1% leads in the system for law enforcement to follow up on. For the 2025 fiscal year-to-date, 4,740 pieces of evidence have been submitted to the NIBIN database in Colorado, with 48.8% of casings generating leads. 'For Jefferson County, for metro Denver and the state of Colorado, this is a huge success to have this machine in place,' Beavers said. 'I think citizens will be safer because of it.' Looking at the data from April, the Jefferson County Crime Lab told FOX31 they were able to return results to local agencies, on average, 4.7 days after receiving a cartridge case in the lab. 'We're getting a lot more calls than, say, ten, 15 years ago,' Arvada Police PIO David Snelling said. 'We're finding a lot of shell casings. You can't always track suspects via cell phone video. When we can link them through this technology to the scene, it's incredible.' Arvada police shared a case from back in 2022, where the NIBIN database helped connect a suspect to two crimes. A suspect followed a victim in their car and shot at the victim's vehicle on 57th Ave. One of the bullets lodged in the rear seat headrest on the driver's side of the car. 'In the original case that we had in March of 2022, we never found a gun and so it was put together by shell casings,' Snelling said. Then, in 2023, DPD had a case where a suspect shot at a bar on Sheridan Boulevard. The casings found at that scene were connected to the case in Arvada. Through the NIBIN database and the investigative work, they were able to link the two cases together and identify a suspect. This year, the suspect pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. 'The shell casing, it leaves an individual signature on that on that from the weapon,' Snelling said. 'So, this technology is absolutely amazing to be able to match 1 to 1.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
New Haven felon sentenced to 8 years for drug, firearm charges
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A New Haven felon was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for drug distribution and firearm offenses, according to the department of justice. New Haven police charge two men for teen shooting in 2023 Tyrick Warren, 31, was arrested in November 2023 after being found in possession of a firearm, which violated the terms of his probation, and various bags of crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana. Analysis by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) connected the seized pistol to shell casings collected after two shootings in New Haven a few days before his arrest. Text messages on his phone further connected him to the shootings. He pleaded guilty in May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Powerful evidence': St. Johns County using new technology to help solve gun crimes
A multi-agency effort is bringing a new piece of technology to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. With the BrassTrax cartridge case imaging system, investigators are now tracing shell casings and guns to criminal offenders in just hours. 'We can match a shell casing to a particular gun at a crime scene. When we go to prosecute an individual, he's either shot someone or killed someone. We can link that gun to that casing that was found at that scene and that's powerful evidence,' says Florida State Attorney R.J. Larizza. Larizza says the new technology comes out of the creation of Operation Young Guns, which targets the trend between young people and violent crimes. The operation sparked partnerships with agencies around Northeast Florida and Circuit 7 - including with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. With help from the State Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, St. Johns County Sheriff's deputies are able to collect images of shell casings with the BrassTrax system to be sent off to a national database. In minutes, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) returns a report of the casings history back to local law enforcement partners - slashing the time it takes to investigate crimes and prosecute offenders. The Sheriff's Office said the technology has been integral to an ongoing investigation into a January 2024 drive-by shooting at an Airbnb in St. Augustine. While no firearms were located, officials said more than 20 cartridge casings were recovered on the property. Forensic Analysts used NIBIN technology to process the cartridge casings from the scene. 'We were able to link those cartridge casings to at least three homicides in another jurisdiction and five shootings to include our attempted murders of other individuals we believe are linked to this group of people,' SJSO Major Crimes Corporal Mason Thompson said. Sheriff Robert Hardwick is championing the new tech: 'Sometimes you get these violent crimes where you have a shooting, and it takes a year or so for all of this evidence to get processed. Now, we can do it today.' To read more about Operation Young Guns, click here. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
Gun used in Austin 2024 murder was linked to other crimes in the area
The Brief More details have been released in connection with a murder suspect accused of killing an Austin man just days before Christmas Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Gomez shot and killed Mario Damian-Rayas in December 2024 Detectives said the gun that was used is linked to several other crimes AUSTIN, Texas - We are learning more about how investigators tracked down a murder suspect from a case days before Christmas. Detectives say the gun that was used is linked to multiple other crimes. The backstory Mario Damian-Rayas was killed on Dec. 21, 2024. On March 13, Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Gomez, 26, was arrested and charged with his murder. Ulises Castro is Damian-Rayas' longtime friend. "That was just completely relief," he said of the arrest. "At the same time, it made me really mad because I found out that he was denying everything." Police say Damian-Rayas was shot to death while sitting in his car in an apartment complex on Huntwick Drive. The suspect was seen on surveillance video firing into the car from one side, then the other, before running off. Damian-Rayas has since been laid to rest in Mexico, where his mother is. He was a big part of the Austin cycling community. "Finally now we are able to come to a conclusion. We're kind of a little bit more calm and relaxed, but we're still in question. What led up to that situation?" Castro said. APD says there was no connection found between the victim and the suspect. "I would love to sit down and look in his eyes and tell him, why you did it?" Castro said. Big picture view The arrest affidavit says multiple cartridge cases from the scene were entered into NIBIN, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. Matches were found for an APD aggravated assault case and UT police deadly conduct case. In May 2024, on Loyola Lane, a suspect, unidentified at the time, fired shots at a gas station, one of which hit a person's car. In July 2024, a suspect at UT fired shots in the direction of people who were walking. The affidavit says an associate of the suspect identified the person in surveillance images as Rodriguez-Gomez. He is listed as a suspect in a burglary in February 2024. He also has warrants for deadly conduct out of Bastrop County. Investigators found him in Manor. He was arrested after trying to flee into the woods. Dig deeper The U.S. Marshals say he is an undocumented Mexican national. As for Rodriguez-Gomez's immigration status, Braniff says they will enlist the help of an immigration attorney if necessary. "If he is undocumented, a conviction could lead to deportation or other immigration consequences. Juan Carlos only knows Austin, so the threat of deportation would be a significant factor in how this case is resolved. This will be something we monitor throughout the pendency of the case," he said. Rodriguez-Gomez is being held in the Travis County Jail on a combined $1,360,000 bond. What they're saying Rhett Braniff, Rodriguez-Gomez's attorney, released the following statement. "We are actively reviewing the charges against Juan Carlos. He denies these allegations, and we look forward to his trial. The minimal information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit will be scrutinized by our own independent ballistics experts and investigators. We intend to investigate and rigorously challenge the NIBIN hit, the surveillance video identification by an unknown witness, and any other evidence the State provides through discovery. Our investigation is just beginning, and we are confident that we will be able to show the insufficiencies of the State's case when the time comes." The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen
