A Case Study of Death by Bullet with Fired Blank Cartridge.

Korean J Leg Med. 2004 Oct;28(2):70-77. Korean.

Division of Forensic Medicine, National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Korea. cheyys@anitel.co.kr

Department of Forensic Medicine, Catholic University Medical School, Korea.

National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Korea.

Division of Physical Analysis, National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Korea.

Division of Chemical Analysis, National Institute of Scientific Investigation, Korea.

An university student passed away by an unidentified bullet in a reserve force exercise. An X-ray could not find any bullet from the thorax. The post-mortem examination revealed that the victim had been killed by a 5.56 mm (diameter) bullet. The striation mark of the fatal bullet was coincided with a test fired bullet of a suspect's machine gun. However only blank cartridges had been fired according to the firing range records. Also, the examiner found that the mouth diameter of the fatal blank cartridge case is narrower than the others. In order to explain the strange happening, various situation of blank cartridge firing was considered. The examiner group noticed that the diameter of a blank cartridge mouth fired from an unexpelled bullet including gun may change. The authors test fired a blank cartridge case with a gun including an unexpelled bullet, and compared the shape of the mouth with the fatal blank cartridge case. The mouth shapes of two blank cartridges were coincided. The authors could conclude that the an unidentified suspect charged a bullet in the muzzle of the suspect's gun, and the bullet expelled by the gas pressure of the fatal blank cartridge case.

Key Word : 5.56 mm (diameter) bullet, Blank cartridge