Richard Ziernicki, Ph.D., P.E. and his team at Knott Lab provided compelling shooting reconstruction and visualization for an Officer Involved Shooting.

The case involved a man who was shot and killed by two police officers while exiting his apartment.  Knott Laboratory used High Definition 3D Laser scanning and Matchmoving technology to analyze videos from the officers’ body worn cameras and cruiser dash cam footage.   Through their analysis, Knott Laboratory determined the spatial positions and movement of the decedent and each of the officers during the shooting.  It was determined that the first of multiple shots was fired only two seconds after the officers commanded the decedent who was holding a tree pruning saw to “drop it”.  It was also determined that the shots were fired from less than twenty feet away from the decedent.  The court relied on Knott Laboratory’s expert report in their ruling.  The case taught the City to allow time for suspects to follow commands, to use the laser scanning technology and other tools they have for thorough investigations and to implement an officer early warning system.