CASE DISCUSSION

FIREARM INJURY
Presented By:
Dr. Vigneshwaran.S
PG Jr (Academic)
Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology
AIIMS, Patna
Index
• Introduction
• Postmortem report details
• General description of dead body
• Examination of external injury
• Internal examination
• Opinion
• Firearms classification
• Ammunition
• Bullets
• Wound description
• References
Introduction

• Forensic ballistics is the science dealing with the investigation of

firearms, ammunition and the problems arising from their use.
• Proximal (internal) ballistics is the study of firearms and projectiles,
• Intermediate (exterior) ballistics is the study of the motion of projectile
after it leaves the gun barrel till the time it hits the target.
• Terminal ballistics involves the study of behavaiour of missiles once
they penetrate their targets.
• Wound ballistics is the study of the effects of missiles on living tissue.
Postmortem report details

• A dead body was received of a 18years old male who

belongs to Dhanak religion and he was unmarried and his
occupation was unknown.
• The dead body was brought by Sub inspector of police and
was identified by his relatives.
Postmortem report details(cont.)

• Information supplied by police

As per police inquest column no 20 – Goli lagne se
• Information supplied by hospital
As per hospital record – Brought dead .
General description
Received dead body of a male individual wrapped in white sheet of cloth. The body was wearing:
1. A gray colored full sleeved sweat shirt having zip at front open in situ. It had blue and red colored
designs front of chest region. It had a tag of NIKE at front. It was torn at right side of upper part of
abdominal region which correspond to entry wound of firearm.
2. A black colored half sleeved V neck T shirt having a tag of LOUIS PHILIPPE at back of collar. It was
torn at right side of upper part Of abdominal region which correspond to entry wound of firearm.
3. A white colored baniyan stained with dried blood. It had a tag of AMUL MACHO at back of collar. It
was torn at right side of upper part of abdominal region which correspond to entry wound of
firearm.
4. A light blue colored jeans trouser with black leather belt and white metallic buckle open in situ
around waistline. It had a tag of 95 VALLEY at back.
5. A coffee colored underwear with elastic waistline. It had a tag of EKTA MAC.
6. A white metallic kada around right wrist.
General description (cont.)
white surgical cotton bandage with cotton was wrapped around abdomen and it was soaked with
blood.

Length – 166cm
Physique – average built
Rigor mortis – present all over the body .
Postmortem staining – present all over the back except pressure areas and it was fixed .
Both eyes were closed and mouth was closed .
External examination
Ligature mark – Nil

State of eyes

Right pupil – dilated and fixed

Left pupil – dilated and fixed

Cornea /conjunctivia – Hazy

Cornea /conjunctivia – Hazy
Examination of external injuries
Sr No Injuries Marked Injury number
1 A firearm entry wound of size 4.5 x 2 cm elliptical in shape was present obliquely over Yes 1
the right hypochondrial region of abdomen. It was situated 19 cm below the right nipple,
11 cm above the right anterior superior iliac spine, 10 cm away from midline and 102 cm
above the right heel. An elliptical shaped abrasion collar of width varying from 0.5 to 2
cm was present around the wound more so over the inferomedial aspect of wound. On
dissection, surrounding tissues were ecchymosed. On further dissection, the track of
wound was going upward, backward and towards the left. It was going through skin, soft
tissues, 8th right intercostal space with fracture of lower end of 8th right rib near
anterior axillar line, through and through right lobe of liver causing laceration, ascending
colon causing perforation, loops of small intestine causing perforation, stomach causing
perforation, spleen, transverse colon causing perforation, left side of diaphragm and left
7th Intercostal space to reach up to posterior axillary line. The fractured ends of ribs
showed infiltration of blood in its bony trabeculae. A brown colored metallic bullet with
deformed black tip having dimension of length-3-cm-and circumference 3 cm was
recovered in Left region. The tissue surrounding the track of bullet was ecchymosed.
Abdominal cavity contained about .2000 cc of liquid and clotted blood.

2 A reddish abrasion of size 2 x 2 cm was present over anterior aspect of left knee joint. Yes 2
Internal examination (1/3)
Sr No Component Remarks
1 Cranium & spinal Cord (Brain must be exposed in every
case, Spinal cord need not to be examined except in case of
injury to vertebral column/Spinal Cord)
• Scalp Healthy
• Skull Healthy
• Meninges and Vessels Intact
• Brain Pale
• Vertebrae & Spinal Cord Vertebrae healthy and spinal cord not opened.
2 Mouth, Pharynx & Oesophagus. Mouth described, Pharynx and Oesophagus healthy.
3 Neck
• Condition of neck tissues Thyroid Healthy
• Hyoid bone Intact
• Larynx & Trachea Healthy
4 Thorax
• Chest wall, Ribs/Sternum and Cartilage Described
• Pleura /pleural Cavity Intact
• Lung(Rt) Pale on cut section.
Internal examination (2/3)
Sr No Component Remarks
• Lung(Lt) Pale on cut section.
• Pericardium Intact
• Heart Empty
• Coronary Arteries Large Blood Vessel Healthy

5 Abdomen
• Peritoneum, Retroperitoneum
• Stomach and its contents
• Small Intestine and its content
• Large Intestine and its content
• Liver and Gall Bladder
• Spleen
• Pancreas
• Kidney(Rt.)
Peritoneum described Peritoneal cavity contained about 2000 cc of
liquid and clotted blood
Stomach described. contained about 100 cc of blood mixed
semidigested food material. Preserved for chemical analysis along
with its contents
Described and contained liquid chyme. Preserved for chemical
analysis along with its contents.
Described and contained fecal matter. Preserved for chemical analysis
along with its contents.
Described. portion of it preserved for chemical analysis.
Described, portion of it preserved for chemical analysis.
Autolysed
Pale on cut section. Portion of it preserved for chemical analysis.
Internal examination (3/3)
Sr No Component Remarks
• Kidney(Lt. ) Pale on cut section. Portion of it preserved for chemical analysis.
• Urinary Bladder Empty

6 (Male)
• Testes(Rt.) Healthy
• Testes(Lt. ) Healthy

Muscles, bones and joints (Injury/injuries, Diseases Deformity, Fractures, Dislocation) : Described
Opinion
• Cause of Death : Firearm injury
• Mode of Death : Hypovolumeic shock
• Manner of Death : Homicide / Accidental
• Antemortem /Postmortem : Antemortem .
• Probable Time Between Death and Postmortem : Between 12hours to 24 hours .
Inferences from post-mortem report
• Is the injury caused by discharge off from firearm? – Yes .
• What kind of weapon fired the shot? – Hand Gun / Rifle .
• From what distance and direction was the shot fired? – more than 40-
60cm and direction is from right side and from below .
Difference between suicidal, accidental and
homicidal firearm wounds
• Trait Suicide Accident Homicide
• (1) Site of entrance wound : Head or heart. Any area. Any area.
• (2) Shot distance : Contact or very closeClose or very close Any range.
• (3) Direction : Upward or backward. Any direction. Usually upward.
• (4) Number of wounds : Usually one. One. One to many.
• (5) Hand pressing trigger : Powder residue present. Powder residue present. Powder residue
absent.
• (6) Position of the weapon : Found at the scene. Found at the scene. Not found at the scene.
• (7) Scene : Usually in his own house. In his house or while Any place. hunting, etc.
• (8) Sex : Usually males. UsuaiJy males. Any sex.
• (9) Motive : Insanity, incurable illness, Nil. Gang feuds, robbery,
financial loss, etc. revenge, etc.
Difference between wounds of entrance and exit
of a bullet wound
Trait Entrance wound Exit wound
• (1) Size : Smaller than the
diameter of the bullet. In Bigger than the bullet.
close discharge, skin is torn.
• (2) Edges : Inverted. Everted, puckered or torn.
• (3) Bruising,
abrasionand:Present. Absent.
grease collar.
• (4) Burning,
blackening : May be seen around the wound. Absent.
tattooing:
Difference between wounds of entrance and
exit of a bullet wound
Trait Entrance wound Exit wound
(5) Bleeding : Less. More.
(6) Fat : No protrusion except in May protrude.
contact shot.
(7) Tissues :May be cherry-red due to CO No colour change.
within and of explosive gases
around the wound
(8) Approximation :Retains a small central defect. Re-establishes skin's integrity.
of edges
(9) Fibres of :Turned in and may be carried Turned out.
clothing into the wound.
(10) Lead ring : May be seen around the wound by Absent.
or metal ring radiological examination.
(11) Spectrography : More metal is found around entrance wound, The exit wound may
if bullet has only passed through soft tissues. contain more metal if a bone is struck nearer to it.
Firearm classification

• Hand guns
• Rifles
• Shot guns
• Submachine guns / machine pistols
• Machine guns
Hand guns
• Single-Shot Pistols -A single-shot pistol has one firing chamber integral
with the barrel, which must be loaded manually each time the weapon is
to be fired.
• Revolvers -Revolvers have a revolving cylinder that contains several
chambers, each of which holds one cartridge. The cylinder is rotated
mechanically so as to align each chamber successively with the barrel and
firing pin.
• Derringers -They are a variant of single-shot pistols. Derringers are small
pocket firearms having multiple barrels, each of which is loaded and fired
separately. The traditional derringer has two barrels
Autoloading Pistols (Automatics)

• Autoloading Pistols (Automatics) - The term “Automatic pistol” is a

misnomer, as this form of pistol is an autoloader in which the trigger
must be pulled for every shot fired.
• Regardless of the correct terminology, however, these weapons are
invariably called “automatics” or just “pistols.”
• These pistols use the forces generated by the fired cartridge to
operate the mechanism that extracts and ejects the empty cases,
loads the fresh cartridge, and returns the mechanism into position to
fire the next round
Rifles

• A rifle is a firearm with a rifled barrel that is designed to be fired from

the shoulder.
• Barrel length is immaterial in classifying a firearm as a rifle.
• However, the U.S. federal law requires rifles to have a minimum barrel
length of 16 in.
• The types of rifles commonly encountered are single shot, lever action,
bolt action, pump action, and autoloading
Assault Rifles

• Strictly speaking, the term “assault rifle” refers to a rifle that (1)
is autoloading, (2) has a large-capacity (20 rounds or more)
detachable magazine, (3) is capable of full-automatic fire, and
(4) fires an intermediate rifle cartridge.
• The best examples are the AK-47 and AK-74
Shotguns

• A shotgun is a firearm intended to be fired from the shoulder

that has a smooth bore and is designed to fire multiple pellets
from the barrel.
• Barrel length is immaterial in classifying a firearm as a shotgun,
although the U.S. federal law requires a minimal barrel length
of 18 in.
• A shotgun may be classified as a single shot, over and under,
double barrel, bolt action, lever action, pump action, or
autoloading.
Submachine Guns/Machine Pistols

• A submachine gun or machine pistol is a firearm that is designed to

be fired from the shoulder, is capable of full-automatic fire, has a
rifled barrel, and fires pistol ammunition.
• It is often incorrectly called a “machine gun.”
• Semiautomatic carbines are a variation of submachine guns.
• These are either semiautomatic versions of submachine guns or
weapons that have the external appearance of a submachine gun.
Machine Guns

• A machine gun is a firearm that is capable of full-automatic

firing that fires rifle ammunition.
• It is generally crew operated, but some forms may be fired
by single individuals.
• Most machine guns have the ammunition fed by belts,
although some use magazines.
Ammunition

• Cartridge Cases
• Head Stamps
• Primers
• Propellants
Cartridge Cases
• The main function of the cartridge case is to expand and seal the chamber
against rearward escape of gases when the cartridge is fired.
• When a brass cartridge is fired in a weapon, the gas pressure produced by
the burning of the propellant expands the case tightly against the walls of
the chamber.
• Cartridge cases are usually made of brass, a composition of 70% copper and
30% zinc, less commonly steel.
• Steel cartridges have either a lacquer or polymer coating. Aluminum, zinc,
and plastic materials have been used experimentally.
• Brass, plastic, and paper are used for shotshell tubes.
Head Stamps

• Virtually all cartridge cases have head stamps on their bases (Figure 1.18).
• The head stamp is a series of letters, numbers, symbols, and/or trade names.
• They are either imprinted or embossed on a cartridge case head for
identification purposes.
• Civilian cartridges are usually marked with the initials or code of the
manufacturer, as well as the caliber.
• Military cartridges are usually marked with the manufacturer’s initials or code
plus the last two numerals of the year of manufacture.
• The caliber may be designated as well.
Primers

• Small-arms cartridges are classified as centerfire or rimfire, depending on

the location of the primer.
• In centerfire cartridges, the primer is located in the center of the base of the
cartridge case.
• Rimfire ammunition does not contain a primer assembly. Instead, the primer
composition is spun into the rim of the cartridge case with the propellant in
intimate contact with this composition .
• On firing, the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge case, compressing the
primer composition and initiating its detonation.
Propellants
• Black powder is a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate.
• These materials were individually ground to a powder, mechanically mixed,
ground together, incorporated with the help of moisture and pressed into
hard cakes, dried, and then broken down into the desired granulation.
• In such a mixture, the charcoal is the fuel; the potassium nitrate is the
oxygen supplier or oxidizer, while the sulfur gives the mixture more density
and workability and makes it more readily ignitable.
• When black powder burns properly, it produces 44% of its original weight in
gases and 56% in solid residues.1
• These residues appear principally as a dense, white smoke.
Propellants
• Smokeless powder.2
• Using alcohol and ether, reduced nitrocellulose to a gelatinous colloid,
which was rolled into sheets and cut into flakes.
• May be spherical or flattened spheres.
• Smokeless powders can be divided into three categories based on the
chemical composition of the powder.
• A single-base powder contains nitrocellulose, whereas a double-base
powder contains nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine.
• Triple-base powders are nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, and nitroguanidine.
• They are used in large caliber munitions.
Bullets

• Lead Bullets
• Jacketed Bullets
• Lead-Free Ammunition
• Frangible Rounds
• Caseless Ammunition
Lead Bullets

• Lead Bullets
• Lead bullets are made out of lead to which antimony and/or tin
have been added to increase the hardness of the alloy
• These bullets are lubricated with grease or lubricating compound
to help prevent leading (lead fouling) of the barrel.
Jacketed Bullets
• Jacketed bullets may be either FMJ or partial metal jacketed.
• Jacketed bullets have traditionally had a lead or steel core covered by an
outside jacket of gilding metal (copper and zinc), gilding metal–clad steel,
cupronickel (copper and nickel), or aluminum.
• Jackets generally range from 0.0165 to 0.030 in. in thickness.
• Military ammunition, both rifle and pistol, is loaded with FMJ bullets.
• Five different types of bullets are in use by the military.
• Centerfire rifle ammunition used for hunting has always been loaded with
partialmetal-jacketed bullets.
Lead-Free Ammunition
• Ammunition manufacturers are now trying to remove all lead from their
ammunition.
• This has led to not only lead-free primers but also bullets that no longer
contain lead.
• Thus, all-copper bullets for both handguns and centerfire rifles, jacketed
bullets with a tungsten/nylon core, and all-tungsten bullets are either
available or being experimented with.
• Metals such as tin or zinc are blended with hard, high-density metals such as
tungsten and compressed at room temperature to form a dense component
whose properties mimic the ballistic performance of lead.
• In spite of all this research and new technology, most ammunition is
manufactured with a lead core.
Frangible Rounds

• Frangible bullets look and function like ordinary bullets but are
designed to break apart into smaller pieces when they hit hard
surfaces so as to prevent ricochets and over penetration.
• They are intended primarily for use in training though some
advocate their use in environments where ricochets and over
penetration are not acceptable such as aboard aircraft.
Caseless Ammunition
• This ammunition was developed to increase the probability of a bullet hitting a target in combat.
• The Germans developed the 4.7 mm G11 Heckler and Koch rifle and the 4.73 × 33 mm DM11 caseless
cartridge.
• The cartridge weighing 5.2 g consists of a 8 × 8 × 32.8 mm block of propellant in which a 3.2 g bullet is
completely embedded, such that only its tip is visible at the front end of a central hole.
• The bullet has a steel jacket and lead core. Muzzle velocity is 930 m/s—K.E. 1380 J.
• The propellant is a moderated high explosive mixed with a binder.
• At the rear, there is a primer consisting of a small pellet of explosive. A booster charge lies in between the
primer and bullet.
• On ignition, the primer ignites the booster that propels the bullet forward engaging the rifling and acting as a
seal for the gas from the propellant.
• At the same time, the booster ignites the main charge. Since there is no cartridge to be extracted, the weapon
only has to load and fire.
• At full-automatic fire, the rate is approx 600 rounds/min; at three shot burst, it is 2200 rounds/min
Wound description

Estimating the range of discharge

This is one of the most important aspects of the interpretation of
firearm wounds.
Though guidelines can be offered, it cannot be emphasized too
strongly that every weapon and batch of ammunition will vary, so
that medical opinion must always defer to the results of test firing
with the same gun and similar shells. Allowance must also be made
for the effect of interposed clothing.
Rifled weapons

Tight contact over soft tissues

• Possible muzzle imprint.
• Circular hole with abrasion collar.
• Bruising.
• Powder cavity (‘pocket’).
• Local reddening from carbon monoxide.
• Little or no external propellant soiling or powder tattooing.
Rifled weapons

Tight contact over underlying bone

• Muzzle imprint.
• Split or cruciate wound (not always in .22 and .25 cal.).
• Local reddening and carbon monoxide.
• Bruising.
• Detached periosteum with soot soiling underneath.
• Little or no external propellant soiling.
Rifled weapons

Discharge from less than 15 cm (6 in.)

• Circular hole with abrasion collar.
• Ring of dirt (on primary targets).
• Burnt hairs.
• Soot soiling (depending on ammunition).
• Small punctate skin lesions from propellant tattooing.
• Unburnt propellant flakes.
• Little or no carboxyhaemoglobin in tissues.
Rifled weapons

Discharge from 15–30 cm (6–12 in.)

• No soot, but perhaps powder tattooing, depending on
barrel length.
• No carboxyhaemoglobin.
Rifled weapons

Discharge from more than 40–60 cm (16–24 in.)

• Circular hole with abrasion collar and ring of dirt (on
primary targets).
• No burning, soiling, burnt hairs or carboxyhaemoglobin.
Smooth-bore shotguns
Tight contact discharge over soft tissues
• Single circular wound about diameter of muzzle.
• Smooth margin.
• Often muzzle imprint.
• Blackened edge.
• No surrounding smoke soiling unless clothing allows leakage.
• Deep bruising.
• Pink tissues from carboxyhaemoglobin.
• Wads in the depth of the wound.
Tight contact discharge over skull or bony area
As last type, but wound may be ragged and split from gas rebound.
Discharge within a few centimetres
• Circular wound, unless oblique discharge.
• Smooth or slightly crenated margin.
• No satellite pellet holes.
• Surrounding soot soiling.
• Punctate skin lesions from powder particles.
• May be unburnt powder flakes.
• Burnt hairs.
• Pink carboxyhaemoglobin in tissues.
• Wads in the depth of the wound.
Tight contact discharge over skull or bony area

Discharge from 30 cm (12 in.)

• Circular ‘rat-hole’ wound with nibbled margins.
• No satellite pellet holes.
• Soot soiling may persist.
• Powder tattooing present.
• Little or no carboxyhaemoglobin.
• Wads in the depth of the wound.
Tight contact discharge over skull or bony area

Discharge from 1–5 m (39–195 in.)

• Central ‘rat-hole’ wound.
• Satellite pellet holes around periphery.
• No soot.
• Maybe slight tattooing at 1 m.
• No carboxyhaemoglobin.
• Wads not in wound at upper part of this range, but possibly imprint in the vicinity.
Tight contact discharge over skull or bony area

Discharge over 5 m (195 in.)

• Diffuse pellet pattern.
• Probably no central hole.
• No burning, soot, tattooing, carboxyhaemoglobin, no imprint from wads.
All the foregoing data are very variable, being dependent upon the individual weapon and
ammunition. Test firing must be used to validate the pathological interpretation.
 References
1.Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques Vincent J.M.
DiMaio

2. KNIGHT’s Forensic Pathology, Fourth edition, Professor Pekka Saukko and

Professor Bernard Knight.

3. THE ESSENTIALS OF FORENSIC MEDICINE AND TOXICOLOGY By Dr. K.S. NARAYAN

REDDY