Citation

Lepik D, Vasiliev V. Forensic Sci. Int. 2005; 151(1): 1-10.

Affiliation

Department of Pathological Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 51014 Tartu, Estonia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.06.030

PMID

15935936

Abstract

Firings at cloth targets and at human skin from autopsy material were performed from the pistols 7.62mm Tokarev (TT), 9mm Makarov (PM) and 9 x 19mm Glock 19 with common ammunition. The differences were in the soot deposit pattern, the degree of scorching of the synthetic fibres on the edges of the entrance hole and in the findings of the soot and the gunpowder particles. The results were similar on the cloth and on the skin targets. In the case of the TT and the PM, the soot deposit patterns reminded of a blossom or shafts of rays or fans, or the bullet wipe had four narrow and four wide sections regarding the number of lands and grooves. The TT left a large amount of soot and many gunpowder particles and caused the melting of the synthetic fibres on the edges of the entrance hole, producing a defect of the material 0.1-0.3cm in diameter and defects of textile fibres around the entrance hole. In the skin the TT caused many intraepithelial tears, folds of the epidermis and recesses of the epidermis containing soot. Firings from the PM and the Glock 19 caused the melting only of the ends of individual synthetic fibres on the edges of the entrance hole. The PM left a large amount of soot and only a few gunpowder particles. The Glock 19 gave the least soot and the greatest number of gunpowder particles and also caused tears and recesses in the epidermis. Only in the case of the Glock 19, hexagonal or polygonal zones were seen in the soot deposit pattern. The differences in the soot pattern were more distinct at the firing distance of 10cm. By increasing the distance from 10 to 15cm, the intensity of soot diminished and began to disappear at 25cm, but remained more visible in the case of the TT. The gunpowder particles could be found in the epidermis and deeper in both layers of the dermis at all distances fired from the TT and the Glock 19. In the case of firings from the PM, at the distance 10cm some of the gunpowder particles had penetrated into the dermis and most of them were in the upper layer of the dermis. At the firing distance of 15 and 25cm, the gunpowder particles were only on and in the stratum corneum.