A study by Arizona State University researchers sheds light on how “inconclusive” decisions in firearm ballistics could play a key role in clearing innocent individuals in criminal cases. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study reveals that 85% of cartridge cases deemed “inconclusive” by forensic examiners were actually fired from different guns. This finding challenges assumptions that inconclusive results lack probative value and highlights their potential as exculpatory evidence.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the research included analysis by 228 trained firearm examiners who reviewed over 7,000 bullets from 28 guns. Its results not only validate the accuracy of firearm identification methods but also call for more nuanced use of inconclusive evidence in post-conviction cases to address wrongful convictions.
Learn more here: https://news.asu.edu/20230622-discoveries-asu-study-sheds-new-light-inconclusive-gun-evidence
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