NCJ Number
183307
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 44 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1999 Pages: 211-213
Date Published
January 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A crime laboratory in Sweden applied to a murder case a recently developed method for determining the time since the last discharge of a shotgun to determine if both barrels of the double-barreled shotgun were fired at the time or separately using only one of the barrels.
Abstract
Two shots killed the victim. However, the suspect maintained that he killed the man unintentionally and in self-defense by shooting one shot from each of the barrels of a double-barreled shotgun at the time. The laboratory investigation revealed that only one of the barrels was fired the last time the gun had been used. The laboratory concluded that both shots were fired from the same barrel, because the two shots hit the victim. Therefore, the suspect had to reload his weapon between firings. The suspect was charged with murder. Figures and reference