Atypical Gunshot Wounds of Entrance - An Empirical Study

• NCJ Number: 93732
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1984) Pages: 379-388
• Author(s): E R Donoghue; M B Kalelkar; J M Richmond; S S Teas
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Orlando, Fl., 8-11 Feb. 1982.

Annotation

Atypical gunshot wounds of entrance occur when bullets deviate from their stable nose-on trajectory before entering the body.

Abstract

When this occurs, the resulting wound may have an atypical D-shaped appearance. Ray-like abrasions or bruises may radiate from the corners of the wound. Unstable nonaxial flight may be caused by intermediate targets, ricochets, inappropriate weapon/ammunition combinations, poor weapon construction, or use of misaligned silencers. If a bullet is deformed before entrance the configuration of the resulting wound may be bizarre, and the wound configuration may closely resemble the configuration of the striking bullet. Nine cases are presented showing the effects of various intermediate targets. A number of methods for the investigation of atypical wounds are discussed. (Author abstract)