Citation

Tsiatis N, Katsos K, Sakelliadis E, Spiliopoulou C, Moraitis K. Cureus 2022; 14(2): e22145.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Curēus)

DOI

10.7759/cureus.22145

PMID

35308772

PMCID

PMC8920815

Abstract

Homemade guns may inflict serious injuries mainly depending on the shooting distance. A case of a male victim discovered dead with a head wound thought to be inflicted by a homemade gun firing modified ammunition is presented. Upon completion of the postmortem examination, the question of whether the homemade gun recovered on site was able to inflict such a wound arose. An experimental approach was employed to evaluate the ballistic characteristics and wounding pattern of the homemade gun and then compare it with the actual case. Ballistic gelatin with an incorporated bone simulant was used to model and approximate the behavior of the projectile when striking and penetrating the victim's head. The retention of the bullets' path in gelatin was verified through experimental shootings using the same homemade gun and similar type of projectiles. Analysis of the experimental shootings allowed for improved observation and documentation of the wounding pattern, thus confirming the initial hypothesis that the recovered homemade gun did in fact inflict the wound observed during the autopsy of the victim.

Language: en

Keywords

forensic medicine; experimental shooting; forensic science; gunshot wound; homemade gun; wound ballistics