Ballistics Expert Witnesses: 5

Emanuel Kapelsohn is an internationally recognized Firearms Training and Use of Force consultant who has instructed thousands of police and security officers, federal agents and others throughout the U.S. and abroad since 1980. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, he is a practicing attorney in addition to his consulting work. 

As vice president of the Internat’l Assoc. of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, Mr. Kapelsohn is a certified in force science and shooting scene reconstruction, and as an instructor in numerous law enforcement disciplines. He is a featured presenter at national and international instructor conferences. He has authored over 130 published articles, is Associate Editor of "Standards & Practices Guide for Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors," and principal author of "Firearms Training Standards for Law Enforcement Personnel," and "Guidelines for Simulation Training Safety." 

Mr. Kapelsohn testifies as an expert witness in civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts nationwide, and has testified by invitation before both houses of Congress. 

Testimony on the Following Subjects:

View Emanuel Kapelsohn's Consulting Profile.

Firearms Operability Examination

Microscopic Analysis of Ballistic Evidence

Shooting Incident Reconstruction

Laser Trajectory Analysis of Bullet Paths

Gunshot Residue Distance Determination

Operability and Microscopic Report Review and Evaluation

Trial Preparation and Presentation

Expert Witness Testimony

Witness Interviews and Witness Statement Evaluation

Daniel G. O'Kelly has over 40 years of experience as a range instructor, a builder, and collector ofFirearms and Ammunition. Mr. O'Kelly is currently Director at the International Firearm Specialist Academy (IFSA), a guild of award winning experts, former Federal Agents, Investigators, Police Officers, Attorneys, and Medical Doctors, in the firearm and forensics field.

Background Experience - An Armorer for fourteen firearm manufacturers, Mr. O'Kelly has toured and done research at numerous firearm and ammunition factories and firearm reference collections across the U.S., Europe, and Africa. He also served for years as a Compliance Manager for the world’s largest firearm retailer. He regularly presents seminars on firearm enforcement, ID & technology, and ammunition to law enforcement and the firearm industry. He has been a court-qualified expert witness since 1990 on firearms, ammunition, self-defense, use of force, ballistics, trade dress, etc… Mr. O'Kelly served for 11 years as a Police Officer and for 23 years as a Special Agent for the Bureau of ATF where he was Lead Instructor of Firearm Technology at the ATF National Academy, where he co-wrote the firearm lesson plans.

Litigation Support - Daniel O'Kelly has provided litigation support as an Expert Firearm Witness in federal court since 1990. He has testified in numerous trials for over 35 years and has been lauded as an "unshakable witness". A qualified Subject Matter Expert with exceptional knowledge in firearms and investigative protocol, he is recognized as a “go to” person regarding technical firearm issues.

Areas of Expertise:

View Daniel O'Kelly's Consulting Profile.

Francis T. "Jay" Jarvis has over 35 years of experience as a Forensic Scientist, specializing in Forensic Ballistics and Firearms Analysis.

During his career, Mr. Jarvis either performed casework in or was a supervisor for most of the forensic disciplines. Between 1982 and 1997, he wore a multitude of hats, performing casework in:

Following his retirement from the Georgia State Crime Lab, Jay Jarvis started Arma Forensics to provide personalized, timely and unbiased forensic services for clients. He has testified as an expert in Federal Court and the courts of Georgia and several other states over 750 times. Mr. Jarvis' specialty is firearms identification and ballistics but he also has casework experience in trace evidence. Mr. Jarvis has extensive experience in crime laboratory accreditation, having served as an accreditation assessor and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), including one year as the Board Chair.

View Jay Jarvis' Consulting Profile.

Steven Howard provides a wide range of Consulting and Expert Witness Services to the legal professional in an ample variety of Firearms, Ammunition, Knives, Blades, Explosive Devices and many other related subjects. His Primary Area of Experience is Gunsmithing and Certified Police Armorer. Mr. Howard has a college degree in Gunsmithing and is a licensed attorney in the state of Michigan. He is a former Federal Agent with the U.S. Border Patrol and a former Federal Police Officer with the Department of Defense. He has 50 years of Gunsmithing experience and is a Certified Police Armorer.

Services Include:

• All Standard Firearms
• Firearms & Ammunition Failures
• Accidental Discharges
• Almost all Machine Guns
• Silencers
• Testing
• Shooting Scene Reconstruction
• Crime Scene Reconstruction
• Knives
• Explosive Devices
• Assistance in Trial Preparation
• Firearms Identification
• Gunshot Residue Interpretation & Cross Contamination