LEWISVILLE, Texas — Ever wonder how police departments across North Texas connect crimes through the guns being used on the streets? It’s not a simple process.
WFAA went inside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to show you how officials do it.
ATF's building is tucked away in Lewisville with a goal to keep everyone safe.
“Create safe communities. We know the clock is ticking because these folks will continue to offend,’’ Jamey Vanvlit, the special agent in charge.
Cody Sorrells is a supervisor for the crime gun enforcement team.
"Every gun tells a story,’’ said Sorrells.
Telling those stories takes a lot of time and effort. Shell casings are read by the NIBIN system, also known as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.
We examined a shell casing that led us to a case in January, at the Walmart Supercenter in Lewisville.
"There is a guy getting out of his vehicle and has an accidental discharge,’’ explained Sorrells.
Police took the gun and casings, and they ran it through NIBIN.
Sorrells took WFAA into a special room where the casing is tested.
As they run them through the NIBIN system, they’re looking for specific markings.
"The marking the firearm leaves on a fire cartridge case, is essentially the fire fingerprint of a firearm,’’ said Vanvlit.
Finding those markings isn’t easy.
"We see there is a lead, a connection. A connection made more than 50 miles away,’’ said Vanvlit.
The gun in the Lewisville incident was linked to a homicide case.
A homicide case where the same gun was used in an unsolved murder of a homeless man a year ago.
"Was likely used in the murder that was on Jan. 25, 2021,’’ said Sorrells.
While NIBIN brings justice for families, the machine helps tell a much bigger story.
The machines not only help solve day-to-day crimes, but they also help local and federal law enforcement with other crime trends that are happening across North Texas.
Each time a shell casing is connected to a crime, red dots on the map appear brighter.
"Are there new hotspots popping up in town? Are there names that are coming up over and over? That's how we get our serial shooters,’’ said Sorrells.
Getting to that step takes a dedicated analyst, who spends hours behind the computer looking at every spec.
"Tiny, microscopic tool marks that help identify and link those cartridge cases across crime scenes,’’ said Vanvlit.
Behind every shooting, a family is left suffering.
"NIBIN helps bring intel together and agencies together to work toward the common goal of reducing violent crime,’’ said Vanvlit.