Self-Constructed Shooting Devices Utilizing Manually-Impacted Firing-Pins (Suicide Machines)

Härtwig, Sven; Tsokos, Michael; Schmidt, Sarah; Byard, Roger W.

doi:10.1097/paf.0b013e3181c297f5

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Facing the rifle barrel, the victim was positioned, exposing the chest, and the trigger was activated using a lever system pulling a rope [24]. Overall, in these cases, the victim was a middle-aged male, often suffering from a psychiatric disorder, who devised a system aimed at targeting a body site with high lethality [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Specifically, in cases of sharp-force trauma, the head-neck region was mainly targeted [16][17][18][19], in contrast to firearm injuries that involved the head and chest, particularly the heart region [20][21][22][23][24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A unique case of suicide by crossbow with indirect triggering and cranial injury: forensic issues and literature review

Stefano,

Guendalina,

Riccardo

et al. 2024

Forensic Sci Med Pathol

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Currently, crossbows are involved in some deaths, including suicides. These are rare events for which an accurate study of the body discovery site and reconstruction of the triggering mechanism of the crossbow represent crucial medicolegal elements. In this report, a unique case of suicide by crossbow is presented, in which the male victim constructed an elaborate scenario. He arranged two tripod stands to hold the crossbow at the height of his head, and a third to support a hollow tube positioned in front of the muzzle of the crossbow to direct the bolt. After positioning the center of the forehead in front of the hollow tube, the trigger was activated from a distance using a hooked metal rod. The methods used prompted a literature review on suicide by crossbow, which revealed only 14 reports from 1993 to 2023. The head and chest were the main target areas, and in almost all cases, the victims directly pulled the trigger with their finger. Only one case of indirect triggering was found, with the chest as the target. Therefore, in this scenario, the case presented stands as a unique report, due to the elaborate system devised to carry out the suicide and accurately strike the predetermined target.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A unique case of suicide by crossbow with indirect triggering and cranial injury: forensic issues and literature review

Stefano,

Guendalina,

Riccardo

et al. 2024

Forensic Sci Med Pathol

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“…They were popular in the 1950s mainly in urban areas due to the construction easiness and the availability of materials/parts [11]. Nowadays, homemade guns are less commonly found in Western Europe, Australia, and the United States but are still being used in criminal cases in India, South Africa, and Israel [12]. In Japan, a country that has far fewer cases of injury or death by firearms than by other weapons, only a few suicide cases using homemade firearms have been reported [13].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A lot of homemade devices/firearms use either a standard sprung hammer or trigger mechanisms. In the reported cases, when an unusual and cumbersome nature of the firing mechanism is mentioned, it is likely that these homemade devices were specifically manufactured for suicidal purposes [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ballistic Simulation of a Head Wound Inflicted by a Homemade Gun Used in a Suicide Case

Tsiatis¹,

Katsos²,

Sakelliadis³

et al. 2022

Cureus

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Homemade guns may inflict serious injuries mainly depending on the shooting distance. A case of a male victim discovered dead with a head wound thought to be inflicted by a homemade gun firing modified ammunition is presented. Upon completion of the postmortem examination, the question of whether the homemade gun recovered on site was able to inflict such a wound arose. An experimental approach was employed to evaluate the ballistic characteristics and wounding pattern of the homemade gun and then compare it with the actual case. Ballistic gelatin with an incorporated bone simulant was used to model and approximate the behavior of the projectile when striking and penetrating the victim's head. The retention of the bullets' path in gelatin was verified through experimental shootings using the same homemade gun and similar type of projectiles. Analysis of the experimental shootings allowed for improved observation and documentation of the wounding pattern, thus confirming the initial hypothesis that the recovered homemade gun did in fact inflict the wound observed during the autopsy of the victim.

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“…Hartwig at al. reported three cases of suicide where decedents were using a homemade firearm with rudimentary triggering mechanisms [12]. In order to fire the shot the percussion cap had to be hit with a hammer or a rock from behind.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide using a simple crude homemade firearm (zip gun) - a case report

et al. 2017

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Introduction. For homemade firearm, as well as for blank pistol, tear gas gun or cap pistol, that are adapted to use as firearm, there is a commonly used term - zip gun. Presented zip gun is one of the simplest crude homemade firearms that was found among reviewed articles. Case report. We present a case where a young man committed suicide by using a very simple, crude zip gun. The iron tube was used as a barrel. At one end of the iron tube a hunting cartridge was inserted. That end of the tube was closed by iron cylinder with a screw breaching through the center. The decedent was holding the metal tube i.e. the barrel in left hand. He was holding a hammer with his right hand and trying to hit the head of the screw which was, in this case, used as a firing pin. Conclusion. Authors would like to emphasize the importance of thorough investigation and detailed documentation of the crime scene. Particular attention is needed in cases were unusual metal or other parts can be found at the scene from witch a crude homemade gun can be made. We also emphasize that, because of the low power of these kind of firearms and possibility of surviving the shot, if the vital structures are not damaged, an urgent and adequate medical intervention could save the injured persons life.

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Self-Constructed Shooting Devices Utilizing Manually-Impacted Firing-Pins (Suicide Machines)

Cited by 15 publications

References 12 publications

A unique case of suicide by crossbow with indirect triggering and cranial injury: forensic issues and literature review

A unique case of suicide by crossbow with indirect triggering and cranial injury: forensic issues and literature review

Ballistic Simulation of a Head Wound Inflicted by a Homemade Gun Used in a Suicide Case

Suicide using a simple crude homemade firearm (zip gun) - a case report

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