Teri Arney, a special agent forensic scientist at TBI's Crime Lab, found connections between one of the guns found in Wendell Washington's home and the bullet taken out of Jeremy Reynolds during surgery.
Reynolds is charged with the murder of the 19-year-old Washington in the May 5, 2013 Lupton City shootout.
Agent Arney testified Thursday as an expert in the area of firearms examination.
“Firearms, even though they're made in an assembly line, they will have individual characteristics,” she said. “Two bullets fired from the same firearm should have the same mechanical fingerprint.”
Agent Arney told the jury her process of comparing bullets, casings, and firearms. She then said she found connections between the 40 caliber Glock found in Washington's home, shell casings and live rounds taken from the crime scene, and the bullet taken out of Reynolds at the hospital.
She said all the casings and bullets were 40 caliber and PMC brand. She said the brand can be found on the “headstamp of the cartridge case.”
Agent Arney said that the bullet found inside Reynolds was “most likely fired through a Glock that is 40 caliber.” However, she also said that the bullet had insufficient individual characteristics “to link it to a specific Glock.”
Agent Arney said she received two 40 caliber shell casings, three 40 caliber live full cartridges, and that the magazine of the Glock had eight unfired cartridges inside, all PMC brand. She said that the magazine could hold 13 cartridges, plus one in the chamber, for a total of 14.
Agent Arney also connected all the 45 caliber spent shell casings, fired bullets from Washington's front porch, and a fired bullet submitted with Washington's clothing to the same gun, a Hi-Point brand firearm.
Excluding one damaged bullet, Agent Arney said that all of the 45 caliber cartridge cases and fired bullets were fired through a Hi-Point pistol collected by Detective Michael Early during a Aug. 6, 2013 traffic stop involving Gerald Jackson.
Jackson has been ruled out as a suspect since he was in prison in West Tennessee at the time of the slaying. He was sentenced this week to 175 months in federal prison for his part in the "shock and awe" robbery of Kennedy Jewelers on Main Street.
Agent Arney also said that the live round submitted with Reynolds's clothing from Erlanger Hospital was a 45 caliber, but that she could not link it to a specific gun.
She said that she did not receive any guns that matched the 38 caliber bullet recovered from Washington's autopsy.
After she told the jury about the process of her gunshot residue tests, Agent Arney said that one hole in Reynolds's shirt and one hole in Washington's jacket were consistent with contact firearm discharges, where the muzzle of the gun touches the garment.
Defense attorney John McDougal said that there is no way to tell how many bullets were in the Glock to begin with or who originally had the gun.
Agent Arney agreed that the polygonal rifling connecting the bullet taken out of Reynolds to the Glock could be found on other guns besides the Glock. She also agreed that the PMC 40 caliber is a fairly common bullet, available “wherever you buy ammunition.”