Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Monday, June 21.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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Deep Dive: The science behind a shell casing - How the fingerprint of a gun can solve crimes
News5 is taking a Deep Dive at the forensics behind solving crimes in our area with an examination of how shell casings assist a case. Pueblo Police Department Detective Greg Egan gave News5 a behind-the-scenes look at how guns are test fired at the Pueblo Police Department.
Take for instance a 2017 homicide case in Pueblo. In this particular case, a body was found at the scene, and there was almost nothing for investigators to go on, except for four recovered shell casings. Those casings originally did not turn up any leads through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).
NIBIN is a database that contains two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of fired cartridge cases that have been gathered from crime scenes, as well as pictures of shell casings submitted by law enforcement officials who test fire guns collected into evidence. As more local law enforcement agencies participate in NIBIN, there are more images of shell casings submitted, increasing the chances of finding a match for a certain crime. "We get that shell casing result back, and it'll tell us that that gun was used at another scene, which might give us something to go on that we never would have had before," said Detective Greg Egan of the Pueblo Police Department, who is also a Task Force Officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).
News5 is following this story throughout the day, click the headline for updates.
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June is National PTSD Awareness Month
June is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month, and the CDC says an estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, that's right about 10 out of every 100 women develop PTSD, sometime in their lives, compared to about four out of every 100 men. The pandemic definitely hasn't made it any easier for those who suffer from this disorder.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder, that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, war or combat, and is a condition that's frequently associated with veterans, and the alarming suicide rate among them.
Common symptoms of PTSD include: Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive flashbacks, and nightmares, emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma, lack of sleep, and feeling jumpy, irritable, and angry.
Experts point out that some people are already facing mental health challenges before enlisting. They also note traumatic events can happen here on home bases, from vehicle injuries to sexual assault.
There's also the issue of lack of resources, something that's been going on before the pandemic. If you or someone you know needs help, Mt. Carmelhas people and resources to get you in front of someone. For more information, click here.
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Yes, some gas stations are out of gas. No, you don't need to rush to fill up
Believe it or not, experts say there actually isn’t a gas shortage right now. But there potentially could be if you don’t treat this situation the right way.
We told you how people have been having a hard time finding gas in the Pueblo and Canon City areas lately. And on Sunday, News 5 found several gas stations in Colorado Springs also out of gas.
But experts say this is a very temporary issue, and panic buying would only make things worse.
It’s why experts like him want to be very clear about the reason why you’re seeing some pumps bagged off right now. “Because there’s a driver shortage for trucks, it takes a little longer to get those kinks ironed out,’ McKinley said.
Since drivers are in short supply, he says they’ve had a hard time catching up with some routine pipeline disruptions recently, which is why some, but not all, gas stations have been out of fuel at times.
He says this is not akin to fuel shortages like we saw in the 1970s. In fact, it's not even a fuel shortage. It’s just taking a bit longer to get that fuel to stations.
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Meet the activists who are mapping out 'hot spots' & 'safe zones' for LGBTQ youth
The Human Rights Campaign says already this year, 29 trans and gender non-conforming people have died at the hands of violence in the U.S. Last year that number was 44.
At Inside Out, there are two activists working to make El Paso County safer for LGBTQ youth. Darolyn Stewart (She, Her) and Goddess Tyescha (They, She) both say there are places in El Paso County, where they just won't go because they don't feel safe.
Stewart is a Safe at Schools Coalition Coordinator, and Goddess Tyescha is the Amplifier of Public Advocacy, at Inside Out, a non-profit that supports LGBTQ youth through programs and services.
Both are working with Inside Out, to help map out safe zones and hot spot areas in the county. Hot spot areas are locations around town, where LGBTQ youth and adults, feel unsafe due to incidents of harassment.
That includes working with school districts, community centers, and other places where young people tend to gather. They collect data through surveys, and then make policy recommendations, to bring about change.
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Get your latest First Alert 5 Weather forecast
The first full day of Summer is going to feel a lot more like the first day of Spring!
Upslope flow behind a cold front overnight brought cool and wet winds across the plains and west into the mountains and valley. We'll see highs struggle to warm out of the 60s and 70s later today, temperatures that are close to 20 degrees below normal.
Any rain and drizzle today will be fairly short-lived, likely hanging around through the morning in the plains and front range before drying out by lunch.
COLORADO SPRINGS: High: 66; Low: 50. Overcast and cool with drizzle and light rain in the morning and dry skies through the afternoon.
PUEBLO: High: 72; Low: 52. Overcast and cool today with light and spotty drizzle in the morning followed by dry and mild skies in the afternoon.
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