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Emerging Technologies for the Analysis of Forensic Traces pp 183–202Cite as

Advances in Analysis of Gunshot Residue

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Abstract

Analysis of gunshot residue (GSR), produced by the discharge of a firearm, can assist in the association of a suspect with a crime and in the reconstruction of the sequence of events preceding the crime. The golden standard in the analysis of GSR is scanning electron microscope equipped with a detector for the X-ray emission (SEM/EDX). SEM/EDX allows automatic detection of particles containing heavy elements (such as GSR), imaging of particles detected and chemical analysis by EDX. Toxicological and environmental concerns led ammunition manufacturing towards products not containing Pb and other heavy metals. For SEM/EDX it is difficult to characterise the particles from lead-free ammunition and particles from heavy metal free (HMF) cartridges are impossible to be automatically detected. Possible new alternatives could be electron backscattered diffraction detectors (EBSD), ion beam analysis (IBA), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), Raman chemical maps, attenuated total reflectance (ATR) imaging and FTIR spectroscopy or, to a lesser extent due to lack of imaging capabilities, chromatography and mass spectrometry. The evaluation of the time since the last discharge is another interesting forensic problem associated to GSR, needing further research for routine application in casework.

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  1. Department of Law, Università degli studi di Bergamo, via Moroni 255, 24127, Bergamo, Italy

    Francesco Saverio Romolo

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  1. Centre for Mass Spectrometry Imaging, Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK

    Simona Francese

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Romolo, F.S. (2019). Advances in Analysis of Gunshot Residue. In: Francese, S. (eds) Emerging Technologies for the Analysis of Forensic Traces. Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20542-3_13

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