The Galveston Police Department has announced an immediate suspension of gunshot residue (GSR) testing following a recent string of false positives, including one which led to a wrongful murder charge. A high-profile case was dismissed last week when a ride-share driver, initially accused and arrested for murder based on a GSR test result indicating the presence of residue, was found to not have been involved in the crime. According to CW39's report, Galveston police are now reviewing other cases possibly affected by the same batch of faulty tests.
These tests, which were supposed to reliably identify whether someone had recently fired a gun, have now been revealed to potentially lead investigators to falsely accuse individuals. The Galveston Police Department is working with forensic experts to identify the source of the false readings. They have pledged to not use the current GSR tests until further notice. This decision comes after it became clear that the accused Uber driver's positive test was incorrect, as new evidence cleared him of any involvement, as reported by ABC13.
Further complicating matters, the Galveston Police Department admits that it doesn’t know how many cases might have to be reevaluated due to the defective tests. The department has also not commented on how many kits are in the batch in question or the duration for which they were in use. A clear plan on how to address past cases affected by the tests has yet to be detailed publicly.
Regarding the dismissal of charges against the ride-share driver, the Galveston County District Attorney's Office told ABC13, "The gunshot residue test at issue in the Patrick Wright shooting was a preliminary test administered by an officer using a test kit designed to be used in the initial stages of criminal investigations." They went on to explain that in cases involving gunshot residue evidence, they "generally utilizes laboratory tests conducted by credentialed scientists at the DPS Crime Lab." A clear understanding is that the result of a preliminary test is only one of many factors considered when deciding to accept criminal charges, according to the statement provided by the DA's Office.
With the Patrick Wright case still open, Galveston police say they are making progress but aren't sharing details to avoid affecting the investigation. A spokesperson said more information will be released soon, which may reveal a new suspect or person of interest.
