The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab is set to test evidence linked to the recent shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters.
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The GBI Crime Lab plays a crucial role in supporting police and prosecutors by examining guns, bullets and shell casings, which is essential in the investigation of gun crimes across Georgia.
Sara Lue from the GBI told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne that a big part of the bureau’s job is to support police, prosecutors and the search for the truth.
The GBI Crime Lab uses a 600-gallon water tank as part of its bullet recovery system to test-fire handguns and create pristine bullets for comparison.
Examiners at the lab use a microscope to view and compare patterns on cartridge cases or bullets, which helps in identifying if two casings came from the same firearm.
“What we do with it is we’re able to view two, whether it’s cartridge cases or bullets, at the same time to be able to compare the patterns,” said Sarah Van Holm, a firearms analyst.
The GBI employs the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network to find similarities in shell casings, which can lead to further investigations if the same gun is suspected to have been used in different crimes.
The number of requests for gun and bullet examinations at the GBI Crime Lab has increased significantly, with 2,442 requests in fiscal year 2023, 3,000 in fiscal year 2024, and 2,714 in fiscal year 2025.
Director Cleveland Miles oversees seven state crime labs across Georgia, with three currently conducting firearms work, and plans to expand firearms sections to additional labs.
“We’re going to let the circumstances dictate what needs to happen,” Miles said. “But there is a general way that we’ll process firearms in any type of case, including officer-involved shootings.”
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was tragically killed in the CDC shooting Aug. 8. The suspected gunman fired hundreds of rounds before dying of a self-inflicted wound.
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