Suicide with two makes of captive-bolt guns (livestock stunners) fired simultaneously to the forehead

Pircher, Rebecca; Geisenberger, Dorothee; Perdekamp, M. Große; Neukamm, Merja A.; Pollak, Stefan; Schmidt, Ulrike; Thierauf-Emberger, Annette

doi:10.1007/s00414-017-1539-0

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…b Experimental shot to the 3-component model with a captive-bolt gun make Schermer KS that the victim may be capable of reloading the device and firing a second shot [1,11,16,38,40,50,57,62]. Furthermore, two-gun suicides committed by shots from different livestock stunners have been reported [30,39]. In slaughterer's guns supplied with rubber bushings and/or recoil springs, the removal of these constituents prior to firing [31,34,42] can lengthen the penetration depth and even cause the bolt to break so that it becomes a real projectile [42].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The punched-out tissue complex (skin-bone ”imprimatum“) in shots from captive-bolt guns: does it act as a secondary projectile?

et al. 2020

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From the first half of the twentieth century to the present day, injuries and fatalities from captive-bolt livestock stunners are a major topic in forensic medicine. The vast majority of cases account for suicides with the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital regions being the most common sites of entrance (in descending order of frequency). Due to the limited length of the bolt, the corresponding wound channel within the braincase is only several centimeters long. It has been a controversial subject for a long time, whether the skin-bone complex punched out by the conically grooved end of the steel rod may act as a "secondary projectile" being propelled beyond the actual path of the bolt. To answer this question, experimental shots from various types of captive bolt-guns were fired to simulants. Video-documentation employing a high-speed motion camera showed that the punched-out pieces of skin and bone did not move further than the bolt. Thus, a secondary extension of the total wound channel could not be observed. However, the suction effect caused by the bolt's rearward movement may induce a slight retrograde displacement of the skin-bone complex.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The punched-out tissue complex (skin-bone ”imprimatum“) in shots from captive-bolt guns: does it act as a secondary projectile?

et al. 2020

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“… 1 Since the bolt retracts after penetrating the head, no projectile is retained intracranially. 2 In the present case, the patient placed the captive bolt gun onto the vertex of his head in the high parietal region. To increase the effect, he placed a 1 cent coin between his head and the gun.…”

Section: Trauma Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 79%

Rupture of the Superior Sagittal Sinus in Penetrating Head Injury—Management of a Rare Trauma Mechanism

et al. 2022

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Civilian penetrating head injury caused by foreign objects is rare in Germany (Europe), but can result in complex neurovascular damage. We report on a patient who in suicidal intent inflicted on himself a penetrating brain injury near the vertex with a captive bolt gun. A laceration at the junction of the middle to the posterior third of the superior sinus occurred by bolt and bone fragments leading to critical stenosis and subsequent thrombosis. Upon surgery, the proximal and distal sinus openings were completely thrombosed. The sinus laceration was closed by suture and the intraparenchymal bone fragments were retrieved. Postoperative angiography disclosed persistent occlusion of the superior sagittal sinus. The patient did not develop any symptoms due to venous congestion (edema, hemorrhage), suggesting sufficient collateral venous outflow. The patient completely recovered despite the complexity of the lesion.

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“…A peculiar characteristic of rust stains is that in addition to not being removable by rubbing, they sometimes reproduce exactly the metal medium that created them; in some cases, this feature has allowed to trace the weapon used in suicide even if this was no longer present at the crime scene [ 24 ]. Additionally, rust stains can also be produced by improvised weapons as illustrated by a case of suicide carried out by cattle stunners in which a large patch of rust was formed [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Rust stain”: a rare mark in firearm suicide—a case report and review of the literature

et al. 2021

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Rust stains are marks left by firearms in case of prolonged contact with the cutaneous surfaces. These peculiar signs along with other well-documented findings can guide the medical examiner in the determination of the manner of death, especially in case of firearm suicide. This paper presents the case of a 33-year-old male soldier who committed suicide by using a short-barreled weapon, whose trigger remained in contact with the first finger of his right hand, leading to the formation of a rust stain that perfectly reproduced its design. The forensic examination of the scene, the external cadaveric inspection, and the autopsy are described. For the evaluation of the histological findings typical of rust spots, the authors decided to replicate the phenomenon in an experimental setting using porcine skin. In order to provide an exhaustive overview on the formation and the features of rust stains, a review of the forensic literature concerning this rare mark was performed.

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Suicide with two makes of captive-bolt guns (livestock stunners) fired simultaneously to the forehead

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

The punched-out tissue complex (skin-bone ”imprimatum“) in shots from captive-bolt guns: does it act as a secondary projectile?

The punched-out tissue complex (skin-bone ”imprimatum“) in shots from captive-bolt guns: does it act as a secondary projectile?

Rupture of the Superior Sagittal Sinus in Penetrating Head Injury—Management of a Rare Trauma Mechanism

“Rust stain”: a rare mark in firearm suicide—a case report and review of the literature

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