Gunshot Injuries

Gunshot wounds are typically classified as:

1. Contact
2. Intermediate range
3. Distant range

Entrance wounds:

• Contact wounds characteristically have soot on the outside of the skin, and muzzle imprint, or laceration of the skin from effects of gases.
• Intermediate, or close-range, wounds may show a wide zone of powder stippling, but lack a muzzle imprint and laceration.
• Distant range wounds are lacking powder stippling and usually exhibit a hole roughly the caliber of the projectile fired.
• Examination for gunshot residue may aid in distinguishing entrance from exit wounds, for the entrance wound will have more than the exit, or the exit will have none.
• Entrance wounds into skull bone typically produces bevelling, or coning, of the bone at the surface away from the weapon on the inner table.

Exit wounds:

• Most bullets are designed to hit the target without exiting, for this imparts all the bullet's KE to the target and does the most damage.
• Exit wounds are generally larger than entrance wounds, due to the fact that the bullet has expanded or tumbled on its axis.
• Exit wounds either do not exhibit gunshot residues or far less residues than associated entrance wounds.
• In bone, typical "bevelling" may be present that is oriented away from the entrance wound.
• Fragmentation of the bullet may produce secondary missiles, one or more of which may have exit wounds.
• It is important to remember that the orientation of the bullet track may be positional. The victim may have been shot while standing or sitting, but when the body is typically examined at autopsy, it is lying down, so that soft tissues may shift position. This must be remembered when rendering opinions as to the angle, or direction, of fire.

Category: Forensic Medicine Notes