Citation

Lepik D, Vasiliev V, Reisenbuk H, Põldsam U. Forensic Sci. Int. 2008; 177(1): 1-10.

Affiliation

Department of Pathological Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2007.09.016

PMID

18023313

Abstract

Firings in the horizontal direction at cloth targets and at human skin from autopsy material were performed using the pistols 7.62mm Tokarev (TT), 9mm Makarov (PM) and 9mmx19mm Glock 19 with common ammunition. On cloth targets, soot was more visible in the case of the TT up to firing distance of 50cm and there were faint soot flecks on some synthetic cloths even at a distance of 75cm. In the case of the PM and the Glock, the soot was seen on some synthetic cloths at a distance of 50cm. The gunpowder particles were dispersed over the targets (TT and PM) or concentrated mostly around the bullet entrance hole (Glock 19). Up to a distance of 75cm, the Glock 19 left the greatest and the PM the smallest number of gunpowder particles. At a distance of 100cm, there were only some gunpowder particles on the cloths. On skin targets, starting from a distance of 25cm (Glock 19) and 50cm (TT and PM), no more soot was macroscopically visible. Histological examination revealed few dotted deposits of soot (TT and PM) and finer soot particles (PM) on the skin surface up to 50cm. At a distance of 25cm, the gunpowder particles were found in the epidermis and deeper in the dermis (TT and Glock 19), and a distance of 50cm they were on and in the stratum corneum. Starting from a distance of 50cm, in the case of the PM we detected many partially burnt gunpowder grains not connected with the skin surface. At a distance of 75cm, the gunpowder particles were on the skin surface, except one or two of them found in the stratum corneum (TT and PM), and at a distance of 100cm, the particles were only on the skin surface.

Language: en