Admission of Evidence Ballistics Evidence.

Byline: Derek Hawkins

7th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: United States of America v. Ernesto Godinez

Case No.: 19-3425

Officials: EASTERBROOK, WOOD, and BRENNAN, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Admission of Evidence Ballistics Evidence

Law enforcement officers entered a southwest Chicago neighborhood one night to replace tracking devices on the cars of several Latin Saints gang members. Shortly after the officers arrived, they came under gun- fire and a federal agent was shot and seriously injured.A federal grand jury indicted Ernesto Godinez, a member of the gang, for the shooting. In the government's view, Godinez, tasked with guarding the neighborhood, mistook federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Fire- arms ("ATF") for rival gang members and shot Special Agent Kevin Crump. After a six-day trial, a jury found Godinez guilty.

Godinez now appeals, arguing that the district court wrongly admitted certain evidence and that the jury did not receive...