Opinion ID: 152899
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Gun Found Near Fong Lee's Body

Text: At trial, Lee attempted to establish that the gun found near Fong Lee's body may have been in police custody prior to July 22, 2006, and thus could have been placed at the scene by Andersen, by Johnson, or by some other law enforcement officer. Without detailing the extensive testimony regarding this issue, suffice it to say that the weapon was identified by its owner as having been stolen from his home in mid-February 2004 and that it was never in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department prior to its being recovered at the scene of the shooting. Lee also made an issue of the fact that there was no trace evidencethat is, no blood, fiber, fingerprints, or smudges found on the gun. In response, the police department's forensic scientist testified that it is not unusual to examine a gun without finding trace evidence and that about twelve percent of guns have an identifiable latent print.