Opinion ID: 1236570
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Lee's tendered Gunshot Residue and Fingerprint Expert

Text: Lee next argues that the district court abused its discretion by refusing to allow his tendered expert, Wayne Hill, to testify as either a gunshot residue or fingerprint expert. Hill has an associate degree in police science and had worked as a law enforcement officer for 14 years. After leaving law enforcement, he started his own business that focused on homicide scene reconstruction. The admissibility of expert testimony is governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 702, which establishes two admissibility requirements for expert testimony: (1) the expert must be qualified, and (2) the subject matter of the expert's testimony must consist of specialized knowledge that will be helpful or essential to the trier of fact in deciding the case. United States v. Lanzotti, 205 F.3d 951, 956 (7th Cir.2000). The district court has broad discretion in determining the competency of a witness as an expert. Id. We review a district court's decision to admit expert testimony for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Young, 316 F.3d 649, 656 (7th Cir.2002). The district court determined that Hill lacked the experience and training necessary to assist the jury in understanding how gunshot residue can transfer from one surface to another and how gunshot residue found only on the right cuff of Lee's jacket suggests that he had not recently fired a gun. We agree. Hill testified that he had never been asked to conduct testing for purposes of ascertaining the properties or characteristics of gunshot residue and that he had neither the training nor experience necessary to conduct the actual testing of an object for the presence of gunshot residue. We also agree with the district court's refusal to allow Hill to testify that the partial fingerprint found on the recovered gun was unsuitable for comparison. Hill was not a qualified expert; he had no formalized training or experience in the analysis of fingerprints. Hill admitted during voir dire that he did not have the necessary experience to render an opinion as to whether the latent print lifted from the handgun was suitable for comparison. Because Hill was not qualified as either a gunshot residue or fingerprint expert, the district court did not err in barring his testimony.