A Sarajevo crime lab technician took the stand at the trial of Dragomir Milosevic today. He did on-site investigations at the scenes of artillery and sniper attacks. The Trial Chamber admitted into evidence photos and sketches he made at the crime scenes in 12 Gete Street and the RTV building. The latter was hit by a modified air bomb in June 1995


A crime lab technician from Sarajevo testified today with protective measures – pseudonym and image distortion – at the trial of General Dragomir Milosevic. During the war he did on-site investigations at the scenes of artillery and sniper attacks. In that period of time he was called to 52 crime scenes. About half of those investigations took place in the period between August 1994 and November 1995, the period relevant for the indictment against the former VRS Sarajevo-Romanija Corps commander.

The witness described how the crime scene investigation teams were established and how they carried out the on-site investigation. As an example, he presented the crime scene report drafted after the shelling of an apartment building at No. 12, Gete Street on 22 June 1995. The shell exploded in front of the building and wounded several persons. A piece of shrapnel tore through the wall and killed two-year old Almedina Burek who was asleep in her cot.

He showed the court a series of photos he had taken at the crime scene. They show the place of impact, the shrapnel found at the scene, the damage to the wall, and blood stains in front of the building. All this evidence was marked on the sketch of the crime scene made during the on-site investigation. Both the photos and the sketch were admitted into evidence today.

Six days later, on 28 June 1995, the witness's team did the on-site investigation in the RTV building that had been hit by a modified air bomb. For the first time in his life, he said today, he encountered such a large-scale destruction. He immediately realized that it could not have been caused by a mortar shell. The investigation determined that the missile had come from a westerly direction. As the rocket carrying it lost power, the bomb first hit the roof of the RTV building. It ricocheted off and kept moving over a lower wall. It then hit the building again, ricocheted and exploded at the base of the Studio C building, where it destroyed a 60 centimeter thick wall made of reinforced concrete.

As in case of 12 Gete Street, a series of photos of the damaged building was shown to the court. The witness took them at the crime scene investigation, together with the crime scene sketch that marked the missile trajectory: form the roof, over the wall of the neighboring building, to the place it finally exploded, the Studio C building.

According to the indictment, the grenade came from the direction of Ilidza killing one and injuring 28 persons.

The Sarajevo crime lab technician will continue his testimony tomorrow.

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