Mobile County deputies, federal agents test-fire over 1,500 seized guns

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile County deputies and federal agents spent Tuesday morning at the Metro Range firing nearly 1,500 seized guns to look for clues in unsolved shootings.

The guns were seized over the years. All of them were fired at the range.

Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said the effort is about more than counting guns. He said it is about knowing what is in evidence and whether any of the weapons can help solve a violent crime or give a victim’s family answers.

Some of the guns date back more than 20 years.

“So there are a large number of guns that have no case number attached, so we don’t know how long they’ve been stored in Pritchard’s evidence room,” Burch said. “But the oldest documented one that has a case number is from 2001. And typically, those weapons would have either been returned to the owner or destroyed way before now.”

Investigators handled each gun and verified serial numbers and case information.

The shell casings go into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to see whether any of the weapons match shootings or other gun crimes.

“Well, we’ll be firing every one that we’ve seized through the search warrant. And again, well over 1,500 guns,” Burch said. “And obviously, storing them, removing them from Pritchard, properly storing them and labeling them took months and months. It took several days to prepare to transport them out here safely and securely and get them set up. And we’ll have that same process returning them back to our property room.”

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office worked with several agencies: ATF, the U.S. Marshals, Mobile police, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office.

“It’s just been a team effort with all of our federal partners and state partners,” Burch said. “And it just shows how important relationships are, you know, throughout every day working these kinds of cases.”