Suicide By Homemade Firearm: A Case Report

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Suicide By Homemade Firearm A Case Report
Authored by B. P. Singh, P. Siddambary, S.S.
Baisoya and S.K. Jain Central Forensic Science
Laboratory, DFS, MHA, GOI, Sector
36-A, Chandigarh- 160036 (India) Ph-
0172-2605933, Fax- 0172-2605923 Email
bhanu9pratap_at_yahoo.co.in
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INTRODUCTION

• USE OF ILLEGAL HOMEMADE FIREARM
• SURVEY AT CFSL, CHANDIGARH SHOWS 70 INVOLVEMENT
  OF HOMEMADE FIREARM
• WHAT IS HOMEMADE FIREARM?

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Contd.

• THIS PAPER PRESENTS A UNIQUE CASE OF SUICIDE
  CAUSED BY HOMEMADE FIREARM USING .315in. RIFLE
  AMMUNITION
• THE STUDY IS RELATED TO CRANIO-CEREBRAL TRAUMA
• THE FINDINGS COULD BE USEFUL TO MEDICO LEGAL
  EXPERTS AND FORENSIC SCIENTISTS

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CASE HISTORY

• A 56-year-old man shot himself by a homemade
  firearm capable to chamber and fire .315in. rifle
  ammunition. According to suicide note the
  deceased was poor in health and was suffering
  from the depression. He brought the weapon with
  the help of a guard and took this step from his
  own wish. The firearm was lying on the table and
  a fired .315in. rifle cartridge case was
  extracted from the chamber of the firearm. The
  .315in. rifle bullet passed through right to left
  skull and hit on the wall left side of the
  deceased resulting deformation in the bullet.

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FINDINGS OF AUTOPSY

• THE BULLET ENTERED IN THE CRANIAL CAVITY FROM
  RIGHT SIDE IN UPWARD DIRECTION CAUSING MULTIPLE
  FRACTURE OF SKULL BONE AND EXITED OUT LEFT SIDE
  OF THE SKULL OVER PANTETED REGION
• ENTRY WOUND (2.5X 2.0 CM2) WAS SMALLER THAN THE
  EXIT WOUND (3.0X2.5CM2)
• BLACKENING WAS PRESENT INSIDE THE TRACK OF WOUND

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MATERIAL AND METHODS

• HOMEMADE PISTOL, FIRED .315in. RIFLE CARTRIDGE
  CASE AND BULLET WAS RECEIVED
• TEST FIRINGS ON SOAP BLOCK OF SIZE 14X10CM2 FROM
  LOOSE CONTACT AT AN ANGLE OF 900
• SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE ENTRY AND EXIT WOUNDS
  PRESENT ON SOAP BLOCK WERE CORRELATED WITH THE
  INJURIES ALONG WITH OTHER FINDINGS

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HOMEMADE FIREARM AND FIRED .315in. RIFLE BULLET
BL 17.5 CM MD .423
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ENTRY AND EXIT WOUNDS ON SOAP BLOCK
ENTRY WOUND (2.0X1.5CM2 )
EXIT WOUND (4.1X3.0 CM2)
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

• EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDED WELL TO
  THE FINDINGS OF THE AUTOPSY
• SHAPE OF WOUND
• SIZE OF WOUND

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Contd.

• LESSER AMOUNT OF SOOT DEPOSITED AROUND THE WOUND
• MORE NUMBER OF UN-BURNT PARTICLE AROUND THE WOUND
  AS WELL AS IN THE WOUND TRACK

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Contd.

• NO TEARING EFFECT
• NO STELLATE OR CRUCIFORM APPEARANCE
• NO SHOCK WAVE EFFECT

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CONCLUSION

• THIS PAPER PRESENTS, AN UNUSUAL CASE OF A
  SELF-INFLICTED CRANIAL GUNSHOT INJURY CAUSED BY
  .315in. RIFLE BULLET FIRED THROUGH A HOMEMADE
  FIREARM
• IN THIS CASE, THE TYPE OF WOUND CAUSED IS VERY
  UNIQUE, WHICH DIFFERS FROM THE WOUND CAUSED BY A
  STANDARD RIFLED FIREARM IN TERMS OF SHAPE AND
  SIZE OF ENTRY AND EXIT WOUND AND BULLET TRACK

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Contd.

• THE HOMEMADE FIREARMS NEEDS TO BE FULLY
  APPRECIATED BY THE MEDICO LEGAL EXPERTS AS THE
  IMPLICATION FOR PATIENT OUTCOME USUALLY DIFFERS
  FROM CONVENTIONAL STANDARD FIREARMS  

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Contd.

• AT THE TIME OF REPORTING GUNSHOT INJURIES, THE
  MEDICO LEGAL EXPERTS SHOULD TAKE EXTREME CARE IN
  IDENTIFYING THE RIFLED AND NON-RIFLED FIRED
  BULLETS THAT WILL PROVE IMMENSE HELPFUL TO
  CRIMINAL INVESTIGATING AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY THE
  APPROPRIATE FIREARM, OTHERWISE THIS MAY MISLEAD
  TO I.O.

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• THANK YOU