The ATF Crime Gun Intelligence Mobile Command is a state-of-the-art laboratory on wheels. It allows investigators to tap into the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network -- a clearinghouse of gun crime information. "What we've discovered over the years is that firearm shell casings, they all have unique characteristics, similar to a fingerprint," Ward said. The MPD says 25% of firearms and 60% of shell casings recovered from crime scenes last year were linked to other shootings. Ashan Benedict, MPD's executive assistant chief of police, describes efforts to trace weapons and shell casings recovered from unsolved shootings as a race against time.

Source: CNN August 08, 2021 18:33 UTC