Student’s Guide

Crime Scene Investigator:

Montreal – Murder You Solve
Crime Scene Investigator:
Montreal – Murder You Solve - Part 1
As an expert in physics, you have been recruited by the homicide department of the Montreal urban
police.

Scenario

It is 3:4 a.m. Your beeper and phone both ring at the same time. Groggy, you clumsily answer the phone
to find out that a crew is awaiting your arrival at the crime scene. As this is your first official duty call, you
run to your car nervously but somewhat excited.

On-site, you navigate through the media frenzy only to be greeted by the disheartening calmness of the
homicide crew carrying about their routine work. The body of a young Caucasian male lies lifeless on the
floor. The smell of gun smoke is clearly present in the room.

Police officer: Hello, Inspector.

You: Hello, Officer.

Police officer: The 911 dispatcher was called at 3:18 a.m. by a neighbour who heard gunshots
coming from this apartment. So far, all we know is that between 2:30 a.m. and 3:20 a.m., there was
a heated argument between two men, which ended with three gunshots.

You: Did you search the premises for indication of breaking and entering, gun slugs or any other
clues?

Police officer: We have started to. As for slugs, the victim has two wounds, including one fatal
wound in the cardiac region.

You: Are there any other wounds on the victim?

Police officer: None visible, Inspector.

You: Have you recovered the third slug?

Police officer: Not yet.

You: I see the back window is open. Maybe the third bullet missed the victim and went through that
opening. Send a crew outside to see if we could recover it.

Looking around the room for extra clues, you take notes about your surroundings:

• Ground-floor apartment. Direct access to street through balcony.

• Primary building access from main entry.
• Large window is open on the street.
• Width of apartment: front door to window = 3 m
• Length: from small bathroom on one end to wall on other = 7 m
• Position of victim: roughly 1 m away from window

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 You sketch the crime scene

You are interrupted by the officer, who quickly bursts into the room:

You: You have the third bullet?

Police officer: There is a slight problem, Inspector. We know where it is, but it is stuck in a wood
panel that is part of a sign across the street.

You: Carve out the block of wood that surrounds the bullet. Be careful not to damage it! It is critical
evidence.

Police officer: Yes, Inspector. Anything else?

You: Yes. I would like you to get the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team to analyze the
distribution of gunpowder so that we can find out exactly where the shooter was in the room. And
also, concerning that third bullet, I would like you to tell me (…)

What other questions should you ask the officer? (List at least two.)

Find out the caliber and type of the bullet. I know it’s a long shot but
also check if the bullet has a serial number on it.
Measure how deep the bullet went into the block of wood and at what
angle did it collide as this will help us measure the velocity of the
bullet fired, type of gun used and give us an estimate of the suspect’s
height.
Also check if there are any fingerprints on the gun, door handles, or
window ledges.
Inquire all around the neighborhood and also ask the witnesses if
they heard distinct voices or recognized the suspect.

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Crime Scene Investigator:
Montreal – Murder You Solve - Part 2

You go through a number of stages to pursue your enquiry, such as analyzing the policyholder’s file,
interviewing eyewitnesses, analyzing the accident scene, reviewing the driver’s medical file and
interviewing the attending physician.

Muzzle speed
Calibre (mm) Type BS #
Feet/s

6 Varia 800 PS324-67YT6

9 Luger 600 GTH56-9JK
22 Winchester 1800 BVG54-PL9
28 Smith & Wesson 2200 KIJ765-012W

Inspector,

I’ve been told that you’re a rookie, so here’s a bit of friendly advice. You know from the
gunpowder residue that the shooter must have been face to face with the vic m. Therefore you
can assume that he shot almost horizontally (i.e., the angle at which the bullet was red is small
but not zero).

Itsik Bal

You: Do we have anything from CSI team yet?

Police officer: Yes, sir. The information provided to us so far is that the bullet was retrieved a
distance of 13.8 m from the window of this apartment. (At an angle or straight?)

You: Great. Anything else?

Police officer: We have new information, Inspector: Security cameras show eight individuals going
in and out between 2:30 a.m. and 3:20 a.m.

You: The neighbour said that two men were arguing. How many of these individuals on tape are
males?

Police officer: Five individuals, I believe.

You: Have a team ask around and identify who these people are. I want to see all five of them at
the precinct first thing tomorrow.

Police officer: Is there anything particular you would like from them tomorrow?

You: I want all the information I can get from these people: their full names, address, date of birth,
height, weight. Heck, I even want to know what they had for breakfast!

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 Three-Step Cycle

List all the revelant information you have gathered from the problem. Based on this information, state
what you need to know to solve the problem. As new information comes in, you will want to summarize
and update the relevant information you have gathered and ask new questions.
What we know What we need to know Summary
Crime Scene Details: Murder weapon: Has it been The victim was shot at close
Ground oor apartment. recovered? range, likely from a 1.7m - 1.8m
Direct street access via balcony. tall suspect.
Open window facing the street. Motive: Any connection between The third bullet’s trajectory
Apartment dimensions: Width = the victim and the 5 suspects? con rms a horizontal shot,
3m, Length = 7m. eliminating the possibility of the
Victim found 1m from the window. Alibis: Do any of the ve male shooter being on the ground.
Incident Timeline: individuals have veri able alibis? The CSI gunpowder residue will
Gunshots heard between 2:30 determine the exact shooter’s
a.m. and 3:20 a.m. Forensic evidence: Any DNA, position.
911 call made at 3:18 a.m. bers, or blood spatter The ve male individuals are key
Argument between two men inconsistencies? suspects and need full
before shots red background checks.
shot wounds (one fatal in cardiac We can nd out the approx. Retrieve gunshot residue test
region) height of the shooter. results.
Third bullet found lodged in a Con rm gun type and ngerprint
sign across the street (13.8m evidence.
from window) Compare bullet trajectory analysis
Surveillance Evidence: with suspect heights.
Eight people seen entering and Cross-check security footage for
leaving between 2:30 a.m. and interactions between suspects.
3:20 a.m. 5 males.

List the following:

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Questions (Optional: if students need help)

1) This type of physics problem is part of a discipline called ballistics. In fact, it’s simply kinematics. What
is the difference between this kind of kinematics and motion along a straight line?

Straight-line motion assumes movement in only one dimension (x-axis).

Ballistics involves projectile motion, meaning the bullet moves in three
dimensions (x and y), affected by:
A)Initial velocity (muzzle speed)
B)Gravity (causing a downward curve)
C)Air resistance (small effect but present in real-life cases)
D)Impact with obstacles ( the wooden sign)

2) What information is unknown but could be measured if you were on the actual scene. For
example, if you have access to the block of wood with the bullet inside, what pieces of information
can be derived from it?
Note: It is possible that information from one measurement is difficult to find given the great precision
required. Devise a protocol to measure this piece of the puzzle as precisely as possible. You have
access to everything in the lab: string, weights, rulers, protractors, lasers and more…

We can find out the approximate height of the shooter.

The type of bullet used, the velocity with which it was shot considering the
impact on the wooden sign.
Depth of bullet penetration Determines remaining bullet velocity when it hit the
sign. Angle of entry helps confirm the exact trajectory of the shot. Deformation of
the bullet provides clues about the type of material it passed through before
impact (flesh, bone, or air). Spread pattern of gunpowder residue helps pinpoint
the shooter’s exact location in the room.Residue on the victim’s clothing
Confirms distance from shooter to victim.

3) Which one of the characteristics of the five suspects will indirectly help you find out who the murderer
is? Find the value of this characteristic.

The height will help us find the

murderer

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