3D Data from a 2D Perspective: The Creation of the Firearms Map

In July of 2023, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Crime Scene Unit (CSU) received a request to respond to a shooting, initially described as involving multiple victims. Per usual, the CSU team prepared to respond by loading necessary equipment into vehicles. While doing so, additional victims arrived at hospital locations around the City stating they were from the same incident. By sunrise, the total number of victims reached twenty-eight, including two fatalities. To date, this was the largest shooting event encountered by the BPD CSU.

The first night included processing the original crime scene and deploying a 3D laser scanner. Over the following weeks, members of the CSU returned to the original location and surrounding areas to create nine additional sketches of firearms related evidence. This resulted in ten different visuals in ten different styles which did not allow investigators to picture the entire incident at one time. With a complex scene and over a dozen firearms involved, a new visual aid was necessary.

Using the 3D scan data and sketch software, a comprehensive map was created. Sketches and scans from all locations were “stitched” together into one, 2D map. All of the firearms evidence and their locations were highlighted on this map. The Firearms Analysis Unit’s examination results provided the information needed to annotate the map demonstrating the connections between cartridge cases and firearms on the expansive scene.