It’s the forensic analysis after every shooting that helps investigators build their criminal cases and a database that stands 42,000 forensic images strong of Connecticut’s shootings.
Chances are good that the gun used to kill the person you read about on the streets of Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Stamford, Danbury, Norwalk or Waterbury came from another state, often, but not always, down south where the laws are less stringent, authorities say.
And if a gun is in the hands of a criminal, it may well be used in multiple shootings and other crimes, authorities say.
“I’ve seen (evidence) of a gun being used in 10-15 different crimes” in Connecticut metropolitan areas, said Scott Riordan, resident agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Connecticut Office in New Haven. “That’s how a lot of our gang cases are worked.”