ISSN:
1437-1596
Keywords:
Key words Gunshot fatalities
;
Clothing
;
Suicide
;
Homicide
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
,
Law
Notes:
Abstract According to an old rule still in use, gunshot suicides will rarely shoot through the clothing but will pull it aside to bare the skin. Thus, a bullet defect in the clothing would be an indicator for homicide or an accident. A total of 138 clearly defined gunshot suicides were analysed with regard to this topic. The thorax, which is commonly covered by textile, was the target for 27 suicides (19.5%). Of these 27 persons, 25 had fired through the clothing and 2 had placed the muzzle directly on the exposed skin, which represents a relative frequency of only 7%. Special features such as thick clothing or an affected state of mind did not appear to influence this behaviour. Consequently, the perforation of textile does not suggest homicide or an accident - it is not applicable as a criterion for distinguishing different modes of death. Only in the rare cases when a gunshot victim is found with intact clothing covering the entrance wound can this finding be interpreted as an indication for suicide.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004140050035
Permalink
