Ark. lab didn't perform residue test [in the shooting death of 21-year-old Chavis Carter]

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

ITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas' state crime lab says it didn't perform gunshot residue testing on a man fatally shot in the head while handcuffed in a patrol car because it doesn't do that kind of analysis on victims of homicides or suicides.

Jonesboro Police Chief Michael Yates told The Associated Press that the department had requested gunshot residue testing in the shooting death of 21-year-old Chavis Carter.

The lab's chief criminalist, Lisa Channell, told the AP that kind of the testing can indicate whether a person was in an environment with gunshot residue, but not whether he or she pulled the trigger of a gun.

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/apnewsbreak-ark-lab-didnt-1504157.html

[notadmblnd]

1. Well if they had done that and found out he hadn't touched a gun

then they wouldn't be able to all it a suicide now, could they?

[benld74]

2. In tonight's episode of Little Rock CSI,,,,,,,,

[riverbendviewgal]

3. There must be some samples...

like on clothing and scrapings of nails... hair.

[jtuck004]

4. That's bullshit. If they shot the gun there is likely pattern on the hand that

can be illuminated. Such as here.

That is if they test for it, instead of making excuses.

[Blue_Tires]

5. Well can you people fucking do one NOW?

or are do you even give a shit about trying to hide this cover-up?

[Dont call me Shirley]

6. Smelling a big whopper of a lie

[maddezmom]

7. yeah, this explanation reeks

[Fozzledick]

8. Gee, it's as if they didn't really want to know if he fired the gun!

Or maybe they already knew and didn't want to confirm it.

I'm guessing they didn't test the two officers at the scene either.

[Kelvin Mace]

9. Isn't a residue test

a very important tool in determining whether a suicide was a homicide?

Also, wouldn't the amount of residue on the hand be different for a person firing a gun, versus a person being in close vicinity to a fired gun?

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. and lets not even mention residue test for the cops, eh?

I do not care that the victim was or was not a drug addict, seller, whatever..this is just another in a too long line of young black men killed while in custody of the police.
They are just getting more blatant about it, seems like.

[formercia]

11. The pattern of the Powder Residue around the entry wound

can give a very good indication as to how far the weapon was from the victim when it fired.

This is Forensic Science 101. If the State Lab cant determine that, then they should lose their accreditation.

[DefenseLawyer]

12. Gunpowder residue testing is junk science.

The FBI stopped using it almost 10 years ago because it's simply not scientifically reliable. I would have been more suspicious if they HAD done such a test and found "residue".

[AtheistCrusader]

13. They should have tested the hands of the officer.

That would tell a more interesting tale.

[pbmus]

17. Somebody thinkin outside the box ...

[pscot]

14. I don't think the science is the problem

The real issues seem to be poor lab work and careless handling of samples resulting in contamination. A peer reviewed paper in a Brazilian science journal suggests the tests are quite accurate if done properly

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was found to be very efficient for detection of gunshot residues (GSR) common ammunition on the hands of a suspected shooter.
The spectra obtained presented a clear signature with emission lines attributed mainly to barium and lead. A SIMCA classification using the spectral data showed that is possible to discriminate the samples collected from volunteers who had not fired a gun from those who fired a gun, even after washing their hands with soap. The false positive problem was also confirmed, but no false negative result was found.

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/jbchs/v20n10/17.pdf

[skepticscott]

15. Educate yourselves people

There is no point in testing the hands of someone who was in a squad car for primer residue, because those particles are likely to be all over the place in that environment. You're virtually certain to find them, and it would tell you nothing. In any case, that testing NEVER
tells you whether someone actually fired a gun.

And yes, testing for "gunpowder residue" on the hands is unreliable and not used by reputable labs any more, but that's not what this lab would have done even if they had conducted the testing.

[marble falls]

16. Bullshit.

[DiverDave]

18. One of those cops stuck

his hand into the window and MURDERED that guy.
Was he a 'bad' guy?
WHO CARES, in the end he was an American citizen with RIGHTS.
But in our, "I"M KING KONG" police think. it was not a problem.
Just cover up for the shooter, because you never know when YOU might need some help.

The bottom line is they THINK ( or know) they can get away with murder.
And it's looking like they might here.