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Learn about forensic science
October 20, 2002
Web posted at: 9:47 PM EDT (0147 GMT)
Overview: Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose made a cryptic plea Sunday night, asking for a person who left a message at an Ashland, Virginia crime scene to call police. The request followed a shooting there on Saturday night that left one man critically injured. Authorities are investigating possible links between that incident and the work of a sniper who has killed nine people and injured two others in the Washington, D.C. area.
Have students read the story "Police Make a Plea in Sniper Case" and answer the following questions:
1. Where in the Washington D.C. area did the most recent sniper attack take place? What is the status of this case? What cryptic plea did police make on Sunday night? Is this shooting related to the 11 other sniper shootings that have taken place in the Washington, D.C. vicinity? Who was injured in the most recent attack? What is the status of the victim's health? Are there any witnesses to the attack?
2. Have students share what they know about the facts of the previous sniper shootings in the Washington D.C. area. List students' responses on the board. If your students need background information on the attacks, refer them to the CNN Special: SNIPER ATTACKS: A Trail of Terror. Next, have students identify the similarities and differences between the shooting in Ashland, VA and the other sniper shootings. Then ask: What additional information would law enforcement officials need to determine whether the shooting in Ashland is "conclusively" linked to the other sniper shootings.
3. How is science being used to solve the sniper shootings? Inform your class that "forensic science" is science that relates in any way to a court of law. Point out that there are different types of forensic science that aid in solving crime, including firearms and toolmark investigation; forensic psychiatry and profiling; document analysis; identification; forensic photography; forensic archeology; and crime scene processing. Group students and have groups prepare presentations on these different areas of forensic science. After the presentations, have students determine how these different areas of forensic science might be applied to solving the current sniper shooting cases.
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