Page 64 - CFDI Guide

• Evidence and Disposition
• Case Summary

Case Initiation
How the case was reported to the investigating agency, and the particulars.

How informed – by 911, another agency, law enforcement contact, etc. are important to developing other
responding personnel, agencies, and witnesses. Each informant is a potential contact or request for

additional materials to review and analyze.

The date and time of contact, response, arrival and other activities are important for all roles in the event.
If this is a 911 call the audio and dispatch report should be requested. If this was by a law enforcement

contact, such as executing a warrant or a traffic stop, the referencing case reports need reviewed. If this is

by witness, their background needs known. If in a hospital or healthcare system, workplace environment,
etc. the event and person’s history will be relevant.

Every report by each responding personnel should have this information. The more active in the case, the

more information to look for and expect.

Identification and Assessment
Like the official investigations, the CFDI’s review and analysis begins with the identification and assessment

of the decedent or victim, and other involved persons. For our purposes we will only focus on the
decedent or victim, as the routine defense investigation includes the process of other involved persons. In

addition to the previously described Identification and Assessment protocols, there are those specific to
gunshot wounds, and we will now include autopsy or medical records findings applicable to any initial

body assessments here.

Unlike the incident scene, there are two times a decedent or victim is assessed – at the scene, and then at
autopsy or hospital (clinical). The clinical victim will be able to verbalize what happened, and the decedent

can only tell from the evidence they present – a clinical victim will not have trajectory rods used, but can
usually tell where the shooter was. The CFDI will benefit from knowing how both scene and autopsy

assessments of decedent’s were processed, and used similarly in the clinical environment. For this reason
we will discuss the decedent and suggest the CFDI translate this process to making similar determinations

of a victim.

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