Infantry rifle contact wound mimicking multiple gun shot entrywounds Naik SK1,*, Kumar Pawan2, Hansda Manoj K3, Yadav Pradeep4 1Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi-110001, India 2Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi-110001, India 3Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, IMS & Som Hospital, Bhubaneswar 4Senior Resident, Trauma Centre, AIIMS, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi-110029 *Correspondence Author: Dr. Shrabana Kumar Naik, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi-110001, India. Phone No: 91-9891224143 (M), 91-11-23408158 (O) Email: naikshrabana@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 29 April, 2015. Abstract When a contact or near contact shot is fired from a rifled firearm, apart from the muzzle imprint other constructional parts like front sight and/or the recoil spring guide of semiautomatic pistols may surround the bullet entry wound. But when a rifle fitted with a flash suppressor is fired, the emerging soot-laden gas in the barrel escapes from the slits of the flash suppressor. If the shot is contact or near contact, the flash suppressor will produce a characteristic “flower-like” pattern of blackened zones around the entrance, or rarely may produce deep burns mimicking “grouping of gun-shot entry wounds”. We present a case where due to deep dermal burns resulting from escaping hot soot-laden gases through the slits/openings of a flash suppressor of an infantry rifle in a contact shot mimicked multiple entry wounds. Top Keywords Infantry rifle, Flash suppressor, Firearm injury, Entry wound, Contact shot, Grouping of shots. Top |