The Point-Blank Shot - from the shot to the stain: an interdisciplinary forensic analysis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Cornelius Courts
• Subject Area: Pathology
• Term: from 2013 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 230327680

Thousands of criminal offenses involving uses of a firearms are recorded every year and in many of these cases a contact shot is delivered. A prerequisite for solving such crimes and thus of great importance for forensic and judicial investigations is a comprehensive and unbiased reconstruction of the course of events. This requires the examination of an oftentimes complex scenario which can be subdivided into several particular analyses that may comprise both the victim and the person who fired the gun as well as the gun itself. Yet, up to date a systematic effort of forensic research for the integration of these aspects has not been made.Herein, an extensive interdisciplinary forensic analysis is to be performed, that for the first time covers all crucial parts and aspects of a contact shot event, from firing the gun up to the formation and consolidation of biological traces. This complex analysis integrates the exposition and examination of the effects of muzzle gases on biological tissues and trace patterns, the modelling of cranial bone fracturing caused by projectile crossing together with the assessment of the transport of bone fragments, the depiction of course and properties of the wound channel both in biological tissues and considering the transport of biological trace material, the recovery and analysis of shot residues and backspatter from the gun and the shooter's hand, the recovery and analysis of various kinds of nucleic acid containing trace materials from the interior of the gun barrel, and the examination of the of trace formation's dependence on shot distance.Overall, this integrative analysis may yield insights into the shot distance, angle and target zone, point of time of the event as well as the type of gun and ammunition used. In addition a clear connection between gun and both victim and shooter may be established. The comparative analysis of experimental shots and gunshot fatalities from casework using computed tomography is essential to the transfer of physical observations from the ballistic models to biological reality. Also, these findings will be of immediate clinical use as predictors for the prognosis after gunshot related head injuries can be based upon them.A further aim of the proposal is to produce a collection of scientifically validated but practicable recommendations for crime scene investigators, police officers and forensic scientists for optimal and quantitative recovery, storage and examination of forensic evidence in cases involving the use of firearms.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Partner Organisation: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF)
• Participating Person: Privatdozent Dr. Christian Schyma