searchfortruth.info > Forensic Pathology > Gunshot Wounds > Firing Distance

Firing Distance

Determining Distance Between Shooter And Victim Using Blood And Back Spatter

by

ABSTRACT

This project was developed in hopes of being able to answer questions about a crime scene that have not yet been answered. Blood pattern analysis is a crucial part of crime scene reconstruction. Analyzing the blood spatter left behind at most crime scenes allows for investigators to determine where the victim and the assaulting weapon came into contact with each other, also known as the point of convergence. They can also tell what type of weapon the assailant used to commit the crime with by analyzing the velocity of the spatter. However, a phenomenon known as back spatter analysis or as blow back analysis may also be left behind and studied by the investigator. The intention of this research is analyzing back spatter of objects shot with three different weapons at varying distance. Different ammunition will also be used. The weapons will be a Walther P22, 9mm Walther PPS, and a .380 Smith & Wesson Bodyguard using Critical Defense

Read More!

Gunshot Wounds: Determination of the Firing Distance through Micro-CT Analysis

by

Aims

Forensic radiology is a specialized area of medical imaging utilizing radiological techniques to assist physicians and pathologists in matters pertaining to the law. Aim of the present research is to apply traditional and innovative radiological techniques in the field of forensic pathology in real cases, as well as in experimental models of wounds,in order to identify specific injury patterns and to discuss their diagnostic efficiency and their limits, with special regard to the reconstruction of the dynamic of the event..

Method

Human legs, surgically amputated, were cleaned of dried blood and any other contaminants and cut into 3 sections (approximately 6 cm in height). Firing into human legs was carried out perpendicularly at distances of 5, 15, 23, 30 and 40 cm using a 7.65-mm pistol and jacketed bullets (Fig 1). Uninjured skin sections of legs were used as controls.

Read More!