
Two men name Kak and Hin were members of an Asian gang in Stockton.  They were suspects in numerous violent acts that occurred over a three month period. This included the mugging of a 29 year old man and his girlfriend. The man was shot and killed, the girlfriend was shot and survived. The investigation had no evidence until Han was pulled over for drunk driving. Bullet casings were found in the car that matched a gun used in many violent crimes called the “Bottle Cap Gunâ€Â. Investigators got search warrants and found the “Bottle Cap Gun†as well as a Sturm Ruger. The investigators were then able to prove that Kak used the “Bottle Cap Gun†to murder the 29 year old man. The Sturm Ruger matched one of the three guns used in a  drive-by shooting in Hammer Lane, Stockton. Hin confessed to using the gun in the drive-by and the other two shooters were identified as Kak and Sarun Chun. Kak was given a life sentence and Hin was executed. Ballistic evidence was the main reason these cases were solved. The only piece of evidence in the drive-by was a single bullet casing that was linked to the Sturm Ruger. Without the ballistics databases, these cases would have gone unsolved. The ballistics databases allow investigators to test fire a gun and be able to match it to bullets or casings found at crime scenes. This is very powerful tool as it can help solve crimes that the investigator weren’t even investigating. This happened with the drive-by in Hammer Lane. Investigators were trying to solve a mugging and murder, and they were also able to solve a drive-by when they found the Sturm Ruger. This makes getting away with violent crimes much more difficult.