Opinion ID: 2320571
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Government's Other Evidence

Text: MPD officers Ernest Groves and Carlton Herndon each testified that they were familiar with appellant from their work in the neighborhood and that they saw appellant at the crime scene between 6:14 and 6:17 a.m. on the morning of the shooting. MPD Mobile Crime Laboratory Officer David Murray testified that he did not find any shell casings near the truck or any bullets in the truck, but did recover five shell casings near the intersection of Trinidad and Neal, at distances varying from nineteen to thirty-six feet from the intersection. MPD Firearms Examiner Jonathan Pope testified that he matched the five casings to a 9 mm Luger semi-automatic pistol that had been recovered at Hill's home during the execution of a search warrant on October 3, 2000. Pope testified that the location of the casings was consistent with the theory that the shooter was moving while firing the gun. Pope also explained that when a revolver is fired, the casings remain inside the gun so that if a revolver was used in the shooting, as well as a semi-automatic pistol, one would not expect to find casings from it near the scene. He testified further that use of a revolver is consistent with Griffin's testimony that she saw sparks and a flash coming from the shooter's hand, because revolvers emit a spark when fired.