Gunshot recordings from a criminal incident: Who shot first?

Audio forensic examination for law enforcement and criminal justice investigations increasingly involves audiovisual recordings from dashboard camera systems, bystander smart phones, body cameras worn by police officers, and even by cameras built into TASER™ devices. If the camera is pointing in an appropriate direction the details of the incident may be found in the recorded video. However, if the camera’s field of view is limited, it may still be possible to evaluate the circumstances of interest by examining the sounds captured by the recording device’s microphone. This paper presents audio examples in which the forensic examiner must attempt to address questions such as: How many gunshots took place? What types of firearms were involved? Who shot first? Audio examples are presented to demonstrate the solutions—and mysteries—found in several real world cases.