Abruquah v. State

Summary

The court held that the firearms examiner could testify about the firearms-identification methodology and whether markings on crime-scene bullets were consistent or inconsistent with markings on bullets fired from the defendant’s revolver. But the examiner could not reliably give an unqualified opinion that the bullets were fired from that particular firearm because the methodology and supporting evidence left an analytical gap between consistency and source attribution. The error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because the challenged testimony was the only direct evidence linking the defendant’s gun to the crime, so the convictions were vacated and a new trial was ordered.