Investigators use 3D laser scanning technology to help solve the death of a gun shot victim

(Norcross, Ga., 18 March 2008)  The Leica Geosystems ScanStation, a state-of-the-art forensic 3D laser scanner, made its cable TV debut on ‘Fatal Feud’, the latest episode of A&E’s new hit Real-life criminal justice series, Crime 360.  The episode aired March 13, 2008 and the Leica scanner will be regularly used on the series which features cutting-edge forensic technology.

The story begins when investigators are called to a housing project where two men have had a fatal argument. One is dead and the other is on the run. Is it a murder or self-defense? The first step in finding answers is to record the scene. The Leica ScanStation was used to collect a 3D laser scan of the murder victim and the living room where a struggle had taken place.

This enabled investigators to understand in vivid 3D the physical relationship of the doorway, furniture, walls and everything else in the room relative to the victim.  Of special interest to police were the ricochet marks left behind by a single bullet on both the upper wall and ceiling.  Throughout the one-hour episode, viewers follow detectives as they interview witnesses, including the girlfriends of the two men, and forensic scientists as they gather and study the crime scene, which included the recovery of a gun from a trash can behind the housing project.

Later in the program, the scope of the investigation changes and witness interviews bring forth a new theory that includes an alleged vehicle arriving at the scene shortly before the shooting. Investigators returned to the scene with the Leica ScanStation, and proceeded to 3D laser scan the exterior of the apartment building and the street in front of the complex.

Leica 3D laser scanning technology has earned national attention, particularly to support shooting reconstruction. Just recently, Michael Haag, B.S., a firearms and toolmark examiner with the Albuquerque Police Department, and Tony Grissim of Leica Geosystems presented a validation study titled "Technical Overview and Application of 3D Laser Scanning for Shooting Reconstruction and Crime Scene Investigations" to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences scientific meeting in Washington D.C.

For more information about the use of 3D laser scanning in forensic analysis, visit www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic.

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Those who use Leica products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 2,400 employees in 22 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.