Jonathan Smith
Crime Scene: #1
Evidence being examined: Victim Bullet Wound
Forensic science used: Bullet Wound Analysis
Summary of Science:
With guns being one of the most common murder weapons, the process of
analyzing a victims bullet wound has become more refined, and is a common
practice on most shooting investigations. Beginning in the 1970s when numerous
studies were done on the residue left by the bullet after entering the victim,
analyzing a bullet wound proved to be a reliable process in determining how the
shooting might have occurred. Bullet wound analysis can show investigators how
close the gun was to the victim, what angle the gun was at when the trigger was
pulled, and even what kind of gun was used. In a shooting, these details are very
important in determining how the crime was committed and eventually, who the
murder was.
There are two kinds of bullet wounds, penetrating and perforating.
Penetrating wounds occur when the bullet is fired from the gun, enters the victim
and remains lodged inside. This kind of wound can allow investigators to collect the
fatal bullet and analyze it to determine the kind of gun used. Perforating wounds
occur when the bullet travels completely through the victim, producing both an
entrance and an exit wound. Analyzing both kinds of wounds can help investigators
determine crucial facts about how the crime was committed. Also, with both
penetrating and perforating wounds, the gunshot can be classified in four different
categories. These categories allow investigators to determine where the gun was
held in relationship to the victim.
A contact wound is where the gun was held directly against the victims skin.
This kind of wound results in a burn on the victims skin in the shape of the guns
barrel. The heat of the escaping bullet also blackens the area around the wound and
black powder can also be found around the edges. Near contact wounds occur when
the gun was not help directly against the victim but is very near, normally within a
foot. This kind of wound leaves behind the same burning effects, except for the
barrel-shaped burn. The next wound occurs when the gun is still close enough to
leave behind residue from the gun, but does not leave behind any burns or
blackened areas. This is called an intermediate wound. Distance wounds occur
when the bullet has to travel a significant distance from the gun before entering the
victim. The wound on the victim is an almost clean hole where the bullet entered,
not leaving behind any burns, residue, blackened areas or black powder. The
severity of the wound can also help determine what type of gun was used to shoot
the bullet. For example, if the wound caused severe damage to the body and left
behind a sizable hole in the victims skin, it could be concluded that a 12 gauge
shotgun was used.
Because bullet wound analysis is becoming such a vital part of a shooting
investigation, a number of studies are being completed to improve the accuracy of
the process. For example, a company in the UK is working on manikins that can take
the shape of the victims position and fake wounds can be placed on the body in the
same position of the wound on the actual victim, then, bullets can be fired at the
manikin until the wound matches the one on the victim. This will allow for a much
more accurate representation of the crime in a court.
Upon examining our victim, Mr. Aaron Lee, we determined that the wound
was not close contact. While there was a significant amount of black powder and
burn marks, there was not a burn in the shape of a gun barrel. We have come to the
conclusion that this was a near-contact wound. This means that it is highly unlikely
the victim committed suicide. Combined with the bullet trajectory analysis, which
showed a perforating wound on his arm as well, he would have had to put his head
against his arm, and held his gun at least a foot away from his head in order to
produce the wound that was found. It can be concluded that the death of Mr. Aaron
Lee was a homicide, not a suicide.
Sources Used:
https://session.wikispaces.com/1/auth/auth?authToken=0119711f2a7d9f7579dcf
328bd592d10b
