A failed proficiency test at the Virginia Department of Forensic Science’s Western Laboratory in Roanoke has led to a review of more than 2,600 firearm comparison cases, VPM News reported.
The agency has told local prosecutors and law enforcement that 2,173 cases handled by one former examiner, and 497 handled by a second former employee, should be considered for reexamination.
Firearm comparisons let investigators check whether a suspect’s weapon matches bullets or shell casings recovered at a crime scene. Officials have given no timeline for finishing the work.
External review is underway
As of Oct. 5, the department had sent 105 case files to Ron Smith & Associates, a firm hired in April 2025 to examine samples. Of the 89 files returned so far, the agency has reworked at least four and changed the results in two…