Solving the Crime

Congratulations!

You have successfully demonstrated your knowledge of firearms and have even been able to show that you can use geometry and trigonometry help investigators solve crimes. Now it is time to put your skills to the test and correctly identify which suspect with which weapon took a shot at me as I entered Pleasant Park.

Use the information provided below to solve the crime. Once you think you have figured it out, you will write a report supporting your argument. The requirements of the paper can be found at the bottom page. Good luck!

The Evidence

The Pleasant Park police responded to your "shots fired" complaint by conducting and investigation and rounding up all of the usual suspects. While they appear to have done an excellent job of collecting evidence, they will need your help figuring out which suspect shot at you and what weapon that suspect used. Here is what they found at the crime scene:

The police recovered a .45 caliber bullet from the side of the house 184" above the ground, just as you had reported.
The hole left by the bullet as 16 mm wide and 18mm long.
While most of the bullet was destroyed, the detectives were able to make out a counterclockwise striation pattern with medium size grooves.
Footprints were found about 20' (240") from the house.

In addition to taking measurements at the crime scene, the investigators also collected all of the .45 caliber firearms they found in and around the area. They have also taken the liberty of conducting test fires for each firearm so that the bullets can be compared.

The Firearms and Test Fired Bullets

Take note of the name of the firearm as well as the striation marks on the bullets.

Hand Cannon

Hand CannonTest Fire

Pistol

PistolTest Fire

Suppressed Pistol

Suppressed PistolTest Fire

6-Shooter

6-ShooterTest Fire

Revolver

RevolverTest Fire

Dual Pistols

Dual PistolsTest Fire

The Suspects

Here is the list of suspects or people of interest that the police have interviewed. Some of them admit to being in the area at the same time of the shooting while the police are still verifying the alibis of others. No traces of GSR were found on any of the suspects.

Dire

6' 0"

Rose

5' 10"

AIM

7' 0"

Fate

5' 6"

The Reaper

6' 2"

Valkyrie

5' 8"

Now that you have seen the evidence and list of suspects, you should have all you need to determine who the shooter was and which weapon he or she used. Write a report explaining how you came to your conclusion. In your report be sure to include:

Which weapon was used to fire the bullet?
- What evidence led you to that conclusion?
- What is your reasoning for your conclusion?
Which suspect was the shooter?
- Explain the steps you took to come to that conclusion.
- Include diagrams to help support your argument.

You may work with one partner to write your report and you will submit it through itsLearning. Be sure to check the rubric before submitting your report.

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