Helpful Tips Before Hiring a Shooting Scene Expert

In court, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Many cases are either won or lost on the testimony of an expert witness. If your case involves a shooting, especially a police officer-involved shooting, you’re going to want a shooting scene expert to testify. That being said, choosing the right expert for your upcoming trial is no easy task. Diligent work with experienced trial counsel in the selection and preparation process always pays off in the end. 

Tips Before Hiring a Shooting Scene Expert

For a successful selection, here is what should be taken into account:

Tip #1 Make sure they have the right background.

The real difference between an expert that will help make or break your case is the depth and diversity of the expert’s background within the industry involved in the litigation. As you are looking into hiring a shooting scene expert, someone who specializes in financial crimes or drug overdose autopsies simply won’t do. Someone without the right background will not be convincing to a judge and jury, especially after a rigorous cross-examination. A convincing expert must be able to explain the shooting, as well as the resulting injury or death, in easily understandable language.

Tip #2 Provide your expert with all of the information.

Limiting the information they have doesn’t serve anyone well, especially your client. Sometimes you will discuss information with your expert and you both agree that it really would not add any value for the expert to review the information. If that is the case, then that’s no problem. If that isn’t the case, you could be headed for disaster. If evidence contains information unfavorable to your argument and you don’t show it to your expert, you can bet that the other side will!

Tip #3 Don’t wait too long to hire an expert.

Getting an early read on a case from an expert can save you a lot of stress and money. The expert can help you considerably to frame the issues at hand. Let’s again say this is an officer-involved shooting. An expert will be able to immediately spot where standards and practices have been violated, and can explain why these departures are important for your case and why they resulted in the shooting. If you wait too long to bring in the expert, you’ll be wasting time building your case without this insider expertise.  

The Experts to Call are at The Evidence Room

Why leave anything up to chance? The team you can trust is at The Evidence Room. Our team of forensic animators and legal experts strive to provide the best services to attorneys who are looking for techniques to enhance their legal strategy and justice through litigation. If you think our services can help prove your case, we want to help!