Abstract
De-identified wound data from 197 homicidal gunshot postmortems were obtained between 2000 and 2008. Forensic ballistics data were only available for cases between 2004 and 2008. Males represent 91% of gunshot victims and were struck in the thorax/abdomen with an average of 2.3 bullets. The type of firearms involved were semi-automatic pistols in the predominant caliber 9-mm Luger and assault rifles in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm and caliber 7.62 × 39 mm Soviet, using full metal jacket bullets. The majority of shootings occurred at ranges of 1 m or greater. The most common bullet path was front to back in 66% of cases. Entry wounds occurred more often on the left side of the thorax, abdomen, and back. The most common critical organs/tissues to sustain bullet trauma in descending order were as follows: heart, lungs, liver, aorta, spleen, kidneys, and vena cava. Ribs were struck by most bullets that entered the thorax.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 87-92 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Forensic Sciences |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Bullet trajectory
- Cause of death
- Entry wound
- Forensic science
- Organ damage
- Rib damage
