Gunshot Residue
When a gun is fired, microscopic particles produced by the ammunition may be transferred to individuals and surfaces close to the discharging firearm. GSR can provide telling and substantial evidence, which our specialist team of forensic GSR experts can analyse and assess to support the forensic investigation of a gun crime.
Detailed GSR Analysis conducted by Forensic Firearms Experts
By using the very latest technology and drawing on years of casework experience, Key Forensic Services’ highly-skilled firearms forensics team have a wealth of knowledge and unparalleled expertise in GSR.
Examinations for trace level GSR can also be carried out on clothing, vehicles or other items. These tests are based on the metallic particles produced when the gun is fired.
Trace level GSR examinations can prove vital in any incident involving a firearm, and may provide strong evidence to support propositions such as where someone was if they were close to a gun when it was fired, and/or they have recently been in contact with a surface on which GSR was present; or if a gun was discharged from a particular location; if damage to an object was caused by the discharge of a firearm; or if damage to an item is an entry or an exit hole.
Within our trace level GSR service, our team of firearms experts can:
- Provide expert advice on the potential value of GSR examinations in a case and produce expert witness reports
- Examine items at the laboratory to recover GSR, and other evidence types when required
- Analyse samples from laboratory or off-site examinations, or kits from customer examinations, to identify, confirm and quantify the presence of GSR
- Analyse samples from fired cartridge cases, gun barrels or scenes to determine GSR compositions for comparison purposes
- Provide expert evaluation of the presence, or absence, of GSR on examined items, within the context of each specific case