Problems of Forensic Sciences 2015 Vol. 104 (CIV) 303-311
ESTABLISHING THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION WHERE A HANDGUN HAS BEEN FIRED ON THE BASIS OF THE LANDING LOCATION OF A SPENT CARTRIDGE CASE
Łukasz RACZYŃSKI
Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
Streszczenie
Many forensic scientists claim that the location where a spent cartridge case falls – from a bullet fired from a handgun – is relatively constant and can be used to determine the location of the gun at the moment of firing. The author of the present study has investigated this hypothesis. Two Walther P99 pistols (9 × 19 mm Parabellum ) – from which shots were fired in two different shooting positions (stances) – were used in the study. The experiments revealed a relatively small variability in the landing location of spent cartridge cases, irrespective of the shooting position adopted by the shooter. For the 40 rounds (cartridges) fired, all cartridge cases fell to the right and rear of the shooter, at a mean angle of 121° relative to the direction of firing and at a distance of 243.9 cm from the location of the weapon. Most of the spent cartridge cases were concentrated in one compact area. This fact shows that the approximate place of firing a handgun can be determined on the basis of the (landing) location of a spent cartridge case.
Słowa kluczowe
Handgun; Cartridge cases; Fired cartridge case location; Place of firing; Walther P99.