Firearm Injury From Hunting .30 Caliber Bullet Passing Through an Intermediate Target (Binoculars): A Reconstruction of Events.

This article presents the results of research relating to the ricocheting of hunting ammunition and the application of these results to the investigation of a specific gunshot death, which occurred during a hunt for boars. The scene and autopsy findings revealed that a bullet had first struck a pair of binoculars around the victim's neck before entering his body. As the investigation proceeded, however, questions were raised as to whether the shot was a direct one or a ricochet. The case was thus referred to forensic medicine experts for their opinion. Experiments were conducted, which demonstrated that, although test ammunition could ricochet, the rebound fragments possessed insufficient kinetic energy to pierce the binoculars. On the basis of the experiments, it was determined that the victim had been killed by a direct shot and that the bullet had pierced the intermediate target of the binoculars before entering his body. The possibility of a ricochet producing the injuries found, that is, the victim being struck with a bullet or fragments rebounding from an obstacle, was considered unlikely.

Gunshot Wound in an 18-Year-Old Woman, Inflicted With a Hunting Weapon Through an Obstacle (Mobile Phone): Reconstruction of Events.

The article presents a case of an 18-year-old woman wounded by a shot fired from a distance with a hunting weapon. Because the location of the entrance and exit wounds initially seemed inconsistent with the reports (both wounds were described as "large and irregular in shape") and no photographs documenting the inflicted injuries were taken, the case was referred for an opinion to the Department of Forensic Medicine in Lodz. After a review of the medical records, radiology, the victim's clothing, and performance of an experiment using the gun and ammunition, it was established that the entrance wound was located on the abdomen, and the exit wound was located on the buttock. The initial problems with recognizing the entrance and exit wounds encountered by the surgical team were caused by bullet deformation. Before hitting the body, the projectile pierced a mobile phone that was in the pocket of the woman's jacket, subsequently causing a large atypical secondary entrance wound. The experiment confirmed that, when the projectile passed through an obstacle with consequent deformation, it caused more extensive gunshot wounds, both at the entrance and at the exit, as well as more severe damage to the bones.