The study of gunshot residue (GSR) has become imperative in forensic firearm examination. It may be used to estimate firing distance, to identify bullet holes and to determine whether or not a person has discharged a firearm. This study emphasized on the examination of the pattern of GSR particles deposited on cotton cloth target at different shooting distances (3 inch-12 inch). Two types of pi...

BACKGROUND Firearms may be obtained illegally from federally-licensed dealers and pawnbrokers through surrogate (straw) purchases, undocumented purchases and theft. Some retailers knowingly make illegal sales. OBJECTIVE To obtain information about the frequency of and risk factors for these events, and retailers' reactions to them, directly from licensed retailers. METHODS Survey of a rando...

BACKGROUND Injury patterns and interpretation of injuries in homicidal deaths are important components of medicolegal autopsies. The objective of this article is to describe the incidence of female homicides and their related injury patterns with reference to autopsy practices in South Africa. METHODS A national retrospective mortuary-based study of homicides in women of 14 years and older in...

Backspatter is the ejection of biological material from a gunshot entrance wound against the line of fire. Backspatter of blood was investigated experimentally in transverse gunshots to the heads of calves (n = 9) from shooting distances of 0-10 cm. The resulting bloodstains were documented on white paper placed horizontally 60 cm below the impact site. The morphology of bloodstains and the dis...

BACKGROUND Absolute poverty and gross income inequity can foment violence through various and multiple mechanisms. Poor people are highly prone to exploitation and manipulation by those who are wealthy and more powerful. The poor are as susceptible to being victims as being perpetrators of crime. OBJECTIVE To study the trends in homicides in the Mthatha area. METHOD A review of records of 5...

The defendant was accused of the shooting death of his wife. Police administered gunshot residue samplers to the defendant's hands and objects that he likely came into contact during the interval from the shooting to his arrest. The examination of the samplers by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) showed no particles of potential gunshot residue, except ...

Introduction In the 1990s, the countries and territories of the Western Balkans1 experienced several transformations: a transition from socialism to liberal democracy, widespread economic decline, and episodes of violent conflict in Bosnia and Croatia (1991–95) and in Kosovo (1999) (see Map). Since the turn of the 21st century, the region has witnessed increasing political stability and socioec...

a seven-year-old stallion with diversion of urinary pass to the thigh due to a urethral fistula caused by gunshot perineal injury was presented to the urmia university, veterinary teaching hospital. no signs of urinary obstruction or renal failure were observed. because of inaccessible location of the injured urethra, through a perineal urethrotomy incision, a urinary catheter was effectively a...

Gunshot injuries form a major part of trauma but isolated breast injury due to gunshot is rare. Presented is a 40-year-old female with gunshot (pellets) injury of the breast. Initial surgeries to extract pellets resulted in partial amputation of the breast with surgical site infection. Management of this patient presented a dilemma in judgment of treatment in view of the effects of foreign bodi...

We investigated wound tract extension of traumatic gunshot wounds in limb soft tissues as well as wound tract sonographic features and change-patterns when the limb position was changed. The experimental animals included 8 healthy crossbred pigs in the Chengdu plain region. Chinese Type 53 Carbine was used to establish the gunshot wound model of porcine soft tissues. Gunshot-injured zones in th...