NCJ Number
186421
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 45 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 1243-1249
Date Published
November 2000
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes an improved method for estimating the firing distance of a gun by examining the gunshot wound.
Abstract
Parts I and II of this series described an improved method for the estimation of shooting distance by examining clothing and objects that cannot be processed in the laboratory. In many shooting cases, bullets hit surfaces of various parts of the human body directly without passage through any intermediate medium. For the purpose of assessing the shooting distance, most of the forensic literature describes only visual and microscopic methods for the examination of the appearance of the wound and discharge particle patterns around it. The current study used a chemical test in examining the gunshot wound in addition to the traditional visual and microscopic examinations of the wounds. This chemical test consists of a transfer of the gunpowder residues from the area of a gunshot wound to an adhesive lifter; the residues are then visualized as total nitrite after alkaline hydrolysis by the Modified Griess Test (MGT). When cadavers are in an advanced stage of decomposition or when gunshot wounds are in hairy areas, the information obtained by this chemical test can be crucial for evaluating shooting distance. In other cases, it may improve the accuracy of the examination. The results obtained by this test may also assist in distinguishing between entrance and exit gunshot wounds. 4 figures and 7 references