Adam Grooms is a nationally recognized forensic firearms examiner and expert witness with more than 30 years of experience in firearms identification, tool mark examination, gunshot residue analysis, muzzle-to-target distance determination, crime scene investigation, and shooting incident reconstruction.
He is AFTE Certified in Firearms Evidence Examination and Identification (FA-AFTE), a Distinguished Member of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) and has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts more than 100 times. Throughout his career, he has conducted thousands of forensic firearm examinations and authored well over 1,000 firearm and tool mark laboratory reports in criminal and civil investigations.
As a Discipline Chief of the Firearms and Tool Marks Section, Adam Grooms directed laboratory operations, supervised forensic personnel, managed quality assurance programs, served as Lead Quality Assurance Auditor, and trained new firearms examiners in firearm identification, gunshot residue analysis, and muzzle-to-target distance determination. His leadership emphasized scientific rigor, laboratory accreditation, and adherence to nationally recognized forensic standards.
In addition to his laboratory experience, Adam Grooms is a POST-certified law enforcement officer with extensive experience processing and reconstructing shooting scenes. He has investigated officer-involved shootings, homicides, accidental shootings, and other complex firearm-related incidents, applying accepted scientific methodologies to reconstruct shooting events and interpret physical evidence.
A respected educator and lecturer, Adam Grooms has instructed forensic scientists, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and graduate students throughout his career. He served as an instructor for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) National Firearms Examiner Academy (NFEA), where he trained firearm examiners from laboratories across the United States. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Master of Science in Forensic Science Program at Alabama State University and has taught professional forensic courses through the Center for Applied Forensics at Jacksonville State University.
Beyond casework and instruction, Adam Grooms has played an active role in advancing the forensic science profession. He is a voting member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Academy Standards Board (ASB), contributing to the development of consensus standards for forensic practice. He currently serves on the Board of Directors (BOD) of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) as Junior Member-at-Large and is an Associate Member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
His combination of laboratory leadership, courtroom experience, law enforcement service, teaching, and standards development provides clients with a uniquely comprehensive perspective on firearm-related evidence. Attorneys rely on his ability to explain complex forensic principles in a clear, scientifically sound, and understandable manner for judges and juries.
Areas of Expertise
· Firearms Identification and Comparison
· Tool Mark Identification
· Gunshot Residue (GSR) Analysis
· Muzzle-to-Target Distance Determination
· Shooting Incident Reconstruction
· Crime Scene Investigation
· Officer-Involved Shooting Investigations
· Firearm Function Testing
· Laboratory Quality Assurance and Accreditation
· Expert Witness Testimony
· Case Review and Technical Consultation