CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION AND EJECTION PATTERNS ad eminutomac Breas, the location of expended cartridge portant in csblshing the approximate leaton of a hooters fone more shot have ben fred I may aho be posible 0 deter shooter movec rom one locaton to another, or aerate fled faint wy. during the dchargeof mile shots. Theva of ns imprnesif one ako hasan azimuth ie or dete of fie tote Feed carvidge caer may ako acquire wace evidence ike nearby sifaces with sient force andthe sri sof « es ranfer eidence. The pain on most interior walls 0° houses 5 god sample of sch evidence In some insane, where ipuficen, te ejected cartridge wl eave a xn, rescesshaped the arock src. These are very abe marks and no ube go pene invesigatrs. The presence combined with the econ ffthe response gun can refine the positioning ofthe shooter's Bad shows an expended earige exe with adhering pit on IF corresponding crescentahaped mark mpresed in the seeoch fet cr les of where de pit wa fred, From abi sey ofthe aiould be arparent how dlc this tice evidence and how Holo by caries handing or improper pachoging. IRK—TERRAIN/SUBSTRATE CONSIDERATIONS ge cae loation ata shooting scene might seem srightfor mater of each casing’ loation ina suitable coerdinate Dy indus’ packaging in appropriate containers usually contemporary poice work. Except for photographs, the nate CHARTER 12CARTRIDGE EASE RJRETION AND FJKETION PATTERNS. 198 fon whith such cartridge cases were found is ekdom recorded "uncut gas, vcin's font yard: yard slopes towards the Goel asp parking lot with mach expowed aggregate” or Sig rug sing 720m.” atten and a description ofthe rrface ix needed becate tit Se interes and Smportance in asessing ded cartridge came tobe ina particular locaton (eq uneven fiqifeat elevation changes in the area of deposition ve, lve ons movement, fan, dhe ected caridge case could expe fu intel lmpact wilh the substae (eg. essexlly no further re would be expected wih sft soll or sand; howeres, 3 easing may to bounc ever fect or een ards over smooth eaneret) trace evidence, physical damage, or change othe eartrdge case teen acguted or have taken place (eg, an ejection pore of isl within a few inches of brick wal a the moment of Tearing abrasive damage on the cising wih corresponding red ielions ejected over hard surfaces such as aphul and concrete wll ually fall impactve sites on the ca sim and/or cae mouth when Linder 2 stomieroscope. When fred ‘Tom a fstmoving vehicle the ame te of surface, des "ngs" nthe caruidge eas vil be “These minie damage sts often contain small amount of embedded fp characerisic ofthe surface upon which they fell, With tle and tetiing over the same nype of srface, the examiner can site ths ype of “damage” au Uifeenat i Gann ber ome sTED CARTRIDGE CASES fens mute considered before any interpretation ic atached to fa recnered carte case. These include such thngs as being for nin over by vehicles that might relocate a fied cartridge. the generally soft manure of cartidge cases make them quite to impict damage, abrasion, and/or deformation f stexped on, run Thee evens sual (but not alway) leave evidence of such an tne exridge, eg, mulipe, deep abrasive gouges inthe case all ig ofthe cartridge mouth. These marks, once recognized evalo= Property incerpeeted, can indicate whether the questioned catidge200 SHOOTINU INCaMNNT EFFONSTRUCTION «se has gone through a normal extracton-ection jee oF Hot. Thee mark and the tra typeof surface spon whic the cartridge case mar of oer mats that might be conused with Rearmerenney The ion at ean of ether trend ma ach extant pn Ley ay ith ec po a casing. These pes of marks are ceil posting, ba are nor theo Aten of elec FIREARM—AMMUNITION PERFORMANCE bot or side followed by adequate ipactne forces to the eathige fom ‘ gn property These ee are diet related to the condition of the gun as well sche performance the ammunition daring eicharge. All ofthese cent and tit coreapond marks on the casings lave ara of eae regading the nor proper formance of both the ammunition ad the gut. Examples of marks nd ‘ernie left on eatings that can indeate whether nota casing wa fred in performance during discharge often reflect such events in the markings the easing and/or the degree of expansion ofthe fired arte cs The comparison of these various matkings on evidence catedge cases bea high degree of risk nected with such endenoCARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION AND EJECTION PAT OF MARKINGS ON FIRED CARTRIDGE CASES Be samarizes neat al of the markings that might occur on 2 ed Fase. Some of thew ae, oF may be, generated fiero discharge and Bin the general category of chambering mark, These may occur fearvges ae retained in the magazine ofthe rear (eg, Ich ead of shotgun shell when i becomes the next arrdge eo be Chambering marks may occur 25 the bolt or slide of a semiasto- the magne (agazine ip mark). Scuff the eng rte fs head (12 o'clock lide sco mark) may occu a8 the beschace 12 o'clock pasion of the head ofthe tp caedge in the magazine, eed p the feed amp and into the chamber fon how the gun is designed and haw it has been loaded, the fay srke the head area of the cartridge cate, ride up ard oner SUDE ORAG Mani igen 122 Mon Fin Cite ita ar 29," van tS Sea os Sey aos ogee nh tr noah utcanbe ra nctrzesunc’ smn mopthe rim, thea snap down inwo dhe extraction groove leaving a many 2 three marks in the process A cartidge dropped in the chamber fulloved by the release af the side into batery sands the great Telboot of creating these ypes af marks on pistol cartes. Such a chambering proce coud be repeated multiple times, erating numerous marks of interest, sono which are the conmquence of cardge ease extraction I the gua’ deign cals fn the cartridge to sip under and behind the extractor during the leading process, thes the only mark produced by the extractor a thi point might be small nick or gouge in the bottom ofthe extraction groove or immediately net to the rim in carudges lacking an extacion groove. Final, during the die charge phase the exactor may produce an indentation om the frward facing fide ofthe rim at forty pull dhe cartridge ese fom the cham. Ceeaog ‘ofthis ype of mark i pariculrly likely with locked breech guns opposed wy suaight blowback guns The extractor in asraight blowback desig isnot fun Sonal because the cartridge cate i erally blown out of the thamber. A ‘exuactor i resent in blowback guns to allow for extraction of ne caredges fom the chamber during the unlosding process Chamber sarkngs (rah ional chamber markings) may be acquired, partculaty in blowbark guns, dan ing this pha a the svolen cartridge i expelled retrwardoxt ofthe chamber nally, the hea ofthe carrdge casing is ulinatey struck by the ejecog, ‘ypcally causing the cardge case to pitt around the extractor, or spy be Knocked cer ofthe breechblock. With manually operated guns ibe bl scion or lever acon rifles, an elector mark may not be vble simply because off the grealy reduced force wih which carwsges ypically strike te eto, at compared wth semi or fully automatic frerms. During their fal ex, te earthge cae ray strike one or more areas around the margin ofthe cecal port andl accire addtional marke a8 a consequence, With sme Grea di “occur wih reat regularity and reproducibly, and leaves an outandng mak ‘onthe body the eartrdge cate o adjacent to the mouth ofthe exe ce For these rasons, these ejection port dings are often idetite as having ‘been created by a speci firearm. The fact thatthe casing i sing ares ea the gun during the ejection proces geal affects the ejecuon characters ‘of the fred ertsdges. These ypes of mark ypicaly cannot be coated excep finan actual ring proces, In sudyiag the normally generated marks on cartidges, Ue should desig a tenting protocol that will uote the source and product ‘of the various marks on Bred cartidges. Tht is important for: number reasons. Fint, the examiner should be prepared to wate wheter de 6 ‘arridge apocars to be a normaly chambered, fired, extracted, and Ge ‘arrdge. Secondly, any apical or frcign marks deserve to be exlined ‘hey may be mportant and may relate to some nonstandard use ofthe Sr MTT TT)‘CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION AND EJECTION PATTERNS 203 prof misudventire such a reauicted or retarded slide travel Asicus- this might be importants that of purported struggle over the gun vi some rcoiboperated guns, for example ay rece the slide emit ina weak trike by the ejector, with a corresponding red.tion Gixance and/or recon. Thi may occur in shard holds on 2 fh allalicted shootings or accidental discharges during the unsafe smble an evidence cardge and one ofthe reference cariges ponder morphology and quant are in agreement I aaable and dent quan use evidence ammunition fr testing. ad elec cartrdges ee of any preexisting mark that might ter a having been produced daring the loading-fring-entracion ere e magazine lip marks, and if the firearm uses a detachable nage some ofthese cartridges in the magarine and then strip thes out 1 by pushing aguns the head atthe 12lock poston, vith a tool such as the eraser end ofa penal. Ax each cartridge comes op of the magarne, place a sulable index mark on itso the seurce on of ny magurne lip mark can be ascertained, chambering marks from the feeding proces, chamber » few sang the fll forward force of these, bu remove them gray ‘amber so hat eed ramp marks slide scuff mark, chamber marks leading process and exactor mark fom the iil phase ofthis fan be inlated may be usel to do this by inserting the magazine ld locked back, as opposed to retracting the slide over a previously maparine conaining earwidges. Aside drag mark can ony ocut ater method. The presence or absence a side drag mark oy be en intercomparing cartridge cates fom amuitishot inden Sacidge in the chamber by hand and close the ation. In this je examiner can look for any extractor override mark Be desinble 1 vigorously ccle severa lie carridges through the to see fa vile ejector mark ean be left in the head of live by his means. This should only be done with utmost cae, withthe i downrange. It is also adviable to hecp one's hand clear of ton port incase some malfunction or alteration allow the ejector to Drier and posibly discharge the cardge. A Ine catrdge, ith I and propellant charge, is much heavier and posses more Etim than fred carwidge casing, For tie reason, lve carriges‘may be of value in stations where live caridges are found atx seme o ‘ering that an ejector mark in a fied arrdge is indeed the consequence ofthe dicharge process and not some previo ecing ofthe lve eruidge through the guns mechanism + Obvain tesired care casings using a normal or fen hold, making pro- visions o capture these cartsidgeswidhou them impacing hard srlaces + Obtain teeied cartridges with any alternate hols deemed approprise or germane to the incident under investigation. Capture the cartes inthe same manner and compare the marking with the previous catides, + appropriate, obtain etre carsidges from seminoma pil with dhe side delayed or restricted. This can Be accomplished by wrapping maliple rubber bands around the side and frame. Quantifcson of the addon force for lide retraction can be meatired wh force gauge LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF EJECTED CARTRIDGE CASES. Insofar a questions and isues regarding carwge ase location and ection patterns are concerned, the laboratory exasination of fred caroidge exe a inspection of the interior of the cardige cae fr foreign dis (i ‘nd, water spots, spider wes, et.) inorder oades the eof shes forthe alert, sgn of exposit o environmental conditions tan inspection and. description of the exterior of the caridge cae fr Sadhering foreign debris (dir, mi snd, water spo, tans, et), righine, shiines tarnishing ofthe surface: {check ef any surf roundness of the cate mou or ese body which mig be indicative of posefring enushing examination for any brie impactive fect wih nufrearm re ‘faces (with mpucts on coneete and aap the iy and/or the out OF the carrie cae pial recenes one or move cough “ings” o nde tons olen wid mall paricis of embedded mineral material in tee ae mn exaination of any Gouged or stated areas on the case wall ha are 20 Sirearm related (kicking = cartridge cate while reing on hard sree a runing over a carrdge ease with an automobile tend to eave character ‘damage to the casing hia) an asessment of any other form of adhering trace evidence such 3 pal plaster, stucco that might be asociae witha aes wth which the eri ‘case impacted afterdischargeCARTRIDGE CASE RIRLIION AND EJReTLOW PATTERNS ate of ay ofthese phenomena by sketches and/or photography is Ir in ssations here trace evidence iv seen adhering to the ince thi ould easy be dlodged during subsequent handling JL PROTOCOL FOR EJECTION PATTERN TESTING cal firearm with the same ype of ammunition in an open area lof prenranged coordinate stem wil be necesary, Both cre and Caren (rectangular) coordinates hive been used for this fe author has routinely used the Cartesian coordinates stem with Bion of the X and Y aus directly below the ejection port of the ihe Vaxe aligned with dhe barzel. Muliple metal tape measures ae The surface to form the X/Y axis and to provide agri for later, The proper positioning ofthe gun relative tothe coordinates, Be accomplinied by dropping a pun ine from the tigger guard le location wo the designated spot onthe surface. Alternately, These pw thatthe gun can be held tthe appropriate tation, aiming pois shouldbe establishes to achieve the desired vera fesnple, f the shooting event in question is believed to have downward sho(s) then an aim point tht yes downward 45° hou be employed, For most shooting evens an sim point ye hl (0) barrel angle would be wie. Gun height or the shooter's ncelng, or standing postions, gun rotation, and possibly even Ofte hold onthe gun may need to be considered and varied to ae the implications of card cate location(s) ata shooting and behavior ofthe surface on to which the evidence eartedge yet another consideration. A cartridge falling on smooth sand at he impact site bu he same cartridge landing on concrete wll fer remain at its nial impact site, The eyindrical shape of eat- their displaced center of gravity, and their propensiy to tard surfaces all combine © send them off in varios direc he ial impact sve for most surfaces. The fired catege cas hes emerge from the ejection port of the gun wih 3 tumbling at departure angles and velocities that can vaty slighty from The net effects that a series of Bred cartridge casings wil land Bue not on axed spot. The se, shape, and locaton ofthis area Sebject of ejection pater testing. The reproducibility of the Bier for « parcutar gun and ammunition combination i us fe 123. This igure shows an aril view for three consecutivenent Ranger SX 479 ae f Brea peed rt oneness cts posh To an oancone ‘sptovagun-ammatton corse Hs cartridge case cjction pattens for a 9mm Bereta piso fied over & resilient surface (uncut gra). Note the height change for Group Sia & figure, and its minimal effect on ejection patern for this {gun-ammuniton combination gure 124 shows a more complicated pater fora 40 SRW pil fred level asphalt The dashed lines represent the path fom the itl impact wih dhe aphal, represented by triangles, to dei final posdons of re are represented with bold dot. In most investigations is dhe final post type is wel to appreciate and understand the postimpuct behavior of jected caridge cas. To conduct such a sty, anaes wl be ned romp identi and mark the inital imp site after each shot. Thi followed by mean of asocatng the particular carrie case with tem Impact se. This same asian can alo provide information onthe heights (i any) she ejected earuges rise above the level ofthe EoCARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION AND EJECTION PATTERNS 207 secon PATER OF 440 846 BERETA Femn24 tee TOTES Sle Ceri Cai Hepa sih obra sae meen stace. The on pation scant can omc ano Nh sod inn rset he ath or he nit emp pt nth erred ty Sao hata poton ea epee’ oy Af there isthe possibility or question of fire carrdge passing forthe wot of a car before it landed on the ground. Setting up 8 at these height ofthe gun, and at an appropiate poston and the un, can be utel in several ways, When propel pos famera can record the Might characterises, a well tthe behavior afer ground impact If photography ofthe final pattern of ges i contemplated, ther pesions should te identified with Once the markers are in place, at leatt one photograph Taken from behind the pauea, with the shooting postion inthe and anther wih 2 profile view ofthe patern and shooting pos 125:and 125). B show he effet of pointing the particular tet firearm down angle compared tothe same pistol fired pall to the terran, fectior characternics of most semiautomatic pisos are ether and ear. In these situations, when sch a pistol is pointed Fearvard component is shortened with the rent thatthe fied impact the surface further and further forward a the downward ned.268 StiooTING INCIDENT REGNSTRUCTION "the wad eps banca Secs aci | ‘CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION ANN 5JFCTION PATTERNS 299 Fewr 126 Gri Cae ‘scr tit fete anauncn sy anon tn ards wt ene wh ares jena penal Soar cer ane ren ected c aes ewe IGES EJECTED FROM MOVING VEHICLES ot various cartridge cass ejected from moving vehicles saveing asphalt at speeds ranging from 101 40 mph hasbeen sted bvexpec, the increasing speed ofthe vehicle increases he eater of| and continues w move their fina resting pice further and fiom the launch or election print in the direction of vehicle ave examination ofthe bra cartridge cases alo showed increasing Increasing vehicle speed in the form cf mull “ings,” Increased ao coresponded to an increasing numberof ses of embedded cial from repeated impacts widh exposed sones inthe asphalt impact damage quickly exceeded what was aun wit an ejection fe urace rom 3 saonary poson eae testing it may be possible wo set me Himie on the speed of es from which shos are known to have been Fired based om the of sich ied cartridges relive to the eajectris of the shots and the earidge eases have sustained JONAL CoNsiDERATIONS hy reoiboperated guns need to be held wi a reasonably Firm the eucnarge proces, the side and barrel recoil and move ther fora shor distance, and subxequeny unlock while the din the hand) of the shooter. A poor or loot grip on some210. SHOOTING INCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION SA‘CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION AND EJECTION PATTERNS 211 Ly OPERATED FIREARMS ques described in this chapter are nat applicable to mechanically Iearms sich a boltacton and leveracton sfs, pump shotguns, Be dot psc With these and Uke Srearms, the locaton of the Bred only provides some insight nt the location where the expended semoned from the gun by the handler. This location tay or may Fp the shooting postion. yRY AND CONCLUDING COMMENTS, said that of al the matters investigated and evaluate in shooting the interpretation of cartridge case locaton and ejection is fraught uncertainty. This ie meant a8 strong word of cation and not Fret offi Despite the mumerovs variables, and recognizing that ese are beyond our ably to know, we can often ate wth reasonable fe the semiautomatic pista, or shotgun were ao! fired. The ho re or lly aucomatic rears, Thi ily in keeping with employed in the SenjieMeha rung out cenain hypothe er the following eae can only be jected so fry the gun that fired gr of the patclar gun sets some limits om the direction that the flstrue a the performance of the ammunition may pay a sigiiant extraction and ejection of fied carudges, commercial ammont ply highly refined and consistent produet Subsequent laboratory ofthe evidence and tested eatrdge cases ean provide consider ino the actual performance ofthe evidence cartridges ding the ofthe shooters approsimate location, can be important in eal accounts and theories elated oa shooting incident. The acuracy minaions increases with an inereae inthe number of shots fred ory information a a consequence of perforating bullet strikes to objects at the scene. For example, exo compact groupe of| carte cases al Hired by the ame semiautomatic pistol, Fyliferent location leary show a change inthe shooter's postion. If Bese sows have struck and perforated fixed objets, uch a a wooden Hbred by 2 nearby wall of @ building, considerable improvement inREFERENCES AND FURTH! HATA