North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1059 - 597: The Gunman Appears

Julia: "In the alley, there was an iron fence blocking the way. He climbed over it and reached the main street. By the time we got there, he had completely vanished."

Jimmy took a deep breath and exhaled, "I understand. It's normal for suspects to escape during a gunfight while we're investigating them. Don't worry about it. Julia, call the forensic team over to check this car and the places he touched in the alley to confirm his identity. Are you sure he came out of this building?"

Mark: "Yes, I'm sure. I saw him first. White male, very short hair, no beard, about 180 cm tall, young, around 30 years old. Black jacket, probably wearing a hooded sweatshirt underneath, dark jeans."

Jimmy: "Mark, go inside and find someone to confirm his identity. Julia, after making the call, go with Mark. I'll take a look at the site."

Mark and Julia nodded, and Jimmy walked towards the alley. Mark and others had fired back there, and Jimmy was seeking their gunfight site.

The shooter in the park had decent marksmanship. He used a rifle then. Typically, people who often practice shooting aren't unfamiliar with handguns and should have practiced with them as well. By examining the bullet impacts from his exchange with Mark and others, much can be inferred.

Jimmy found shell casings on the ground and looked around, finding three bullet holes in the wall, approximately at chest height for a person standing. He was shooting while running and turning back; the bullet impacts were quite accurate.

Jimmy moved forward and found five shell casings successively. He looked at the walls on both sides, finding only four bullet holes, indicating Mark and Julia's shooting was fairly decent.

The positions of the shell casings on the ground roughly allowed him to deduce the shooter's escape route. It seemed both Mark and Julia's shooting lines were close to the shooter. But there were no bloodstains on the ground, signifying they didn't hit him, which was slightly disappointing.

Jimmy waited at the position where Mark and others had fired, and after a while, Mark came over and said, "This is the spot where we took cover during the gunfight."

Jimmy: "How many shots did he fire?"

Mark: "4 to 5 shots. The situation was urgent, and I didn't catch it clearly."

Jimmy: "How many did you fire back?"

Mark: "I fired 4 shots, and Julia fired a bit more, probably ten shots."

Jimmy: "Did you hit him?"

Mark: "No, sorry, it all happened suddenly. But I can basically determine that this person has service experience, at least some professional training."

Jimmy nodded: "Don't worry about it. No one can guarantee their accuracy in real combat like they can in training. What makes you think he has service experience?"

Mark: "His shooting technique and the way he climbed the wall differ from my old unit, but they're similar to a comrade I had during an overseas operation. He should be from the Marine Corps."

Jimmy pondered: "How long until the forensic team arrives?"

Mark: "Half an hour. There's a bit of a situation in the building next door; we questioned a few people, but no one knows who that man is. The residents here seem a bit problematic regarding their identities."

Jimmy: "Let's go and check if there's any surveillance available nearby."

Jimmy and Mark left the alley. Julia stopped anyone from entering at the entrance, as it was now a gunfight scene and needed the forensic team's investigation. If anyone entered, they might mess up the scene.

Jimmy opened the car door, turned off the hidden police lights, and arranged things with Julia and Mark. The two of them went left and right to see if there was any usable surveillance information, while Jimmy stayed to guard the scene, especially the unphotographed Toyota, which was likely the car the shooter drove away in during the park shooting incident.

The forensic team had some grievances with Jimmy. Every time it's his case, the contents needing investigation are particularly extensive. This time, besides examining the shell casings left at the gunfight site, they also need to trace the escape path of the shooter to check for any residual fingerprints, which is really tiring.

Luck was on Jimmy's side. There was a working surveillance camera at the entrance of the building diagonally across. Although it wasn't directly facing here, a corner of it could still capture the entrance of this alley and included the Toyota.

The car was parked there slightly past 10 PM last night. After getting out, a person removed the license plate and walked into the adjacent building with it in hand.

This was the evidence. Although the surveillance couldn't clearly show the person's features, his build could be roughly judged to be the same as the shooter they encountered today. Jimmy directly summoned a backup agent team for inquiries in every room of the building.

There were some black and Latin American residents here. While waiting for the backup agents to inquire, Jimmy noticed that a significant portion of these people likely didn't have legal status.

These belong under ICE's jurisdiction, and Jimmy had no interest in causing trouble as long as they could answer questions normally and help confirm the shooter's identity.

Soon, they located two adjacent rooms; neighbors said they had seen a nearly bald man entering a room in the past two days, but they hadn't paid attention to which room he entered, and both rooms were now unoccupied.

Jimmy called Ruiz, requesting his assistance in obtaining a search warrant. After explaining the reasons over the phone, Ruiz arranged for someone to contact a judge.

An hour later, Jimmy received a call—a search warrant had been signed, and Ruiz arranged for it to be delivered. With the search warrant confirmed, Jimmy didn't bother waiting any longer, kicked open the door, and agents entered with guns drawn, "FBI."

"Clear," the lead agent confirmed there were no dangers in the room and then shouted it was clear. Jimmy and the others followed in.

"Weapons found, two AR rifles."

"Found a handgun."

Agents searched the room, quickly reporting their findings.

The forensic team entered after the room was confirmed safe. Jimmy pulled aside a forensic team member: "Quickly verify if the fingerprints on these weapons match those found in the alley downstairs. Also, arrange for bullet marks on these two rifles to be compared with those from the park shooting incident."

Forensic: "Understood, I'll arrange it immediately. But the bullet mark comparison will take quite some time; our lab might not be able to do it right away."

Jimmy: "I'll handle the communication, don't worry, it'll be sorted out."

The forensic team member nodded and shouted to the people up front: "Start with checking fingerprints on the gun, let's get to work."

Jimmy waved to Mark and Julia, and the three returned to the office, leaving the scene to the forensic team. Field agents didn't need to follow through the entire evidence-gathering process.

Communicating with the lab wasn't something Jimmy could handle, but Ruiz could make a call to help, which wasn't burdensome and was no major issue.

After taking a break in the office, Jimmy went to the supervisor's office, where Ruiz first checked the current investigation progress, then agreed to Jimmy's request. If the lab could complete the testing ahead of schedule, the entire investigation process would be significantly shortened.

Ruiz: "By the way, we have a small gathering next Friday; if you have time, come and join us."

Jimmy: "Oh? What's the occasion?"

Ruiz: "The drug trafficking investigation is almost concluded."

Jimmy: "Seventeen is coming back?"

Ruiz nodded: "If he doesn't reveal his identity, he will definitely be prosecuted and imprisoned, so he has to disclose his identity. The Federation Prosecutor's Office has already held the hearing. Once the case enters the prosecution process, Seventeen can return openly."

Jimmy: "Alright, I'll attend. Where will he go after he returns?"

Ruiz: "Anti-Terrorism Team. It's currently inconvenient for him to appear publicly, so he'll stay there for a while and see."