Relationship Between Where a Spent Shell Casing Lands and the Shooter's Location Based on Type of Gun
Abstract
Often times, when spent shell casings are found at a crime scene, the location of the shell casing is used to indicate the location of the shooter. The assumption is that semi-automatic rifle shell casings land to the right and in front of the shooter and that semi-automatic handgun shell casings land to the right and behind the shooter. The author of this study investigated if there is a trend between the shooter’s location and the angle and/or distance of a spent shell casing for both a semi-automatic rifle and semi-automatic handgun. Each firearm was fired ninety times, ten trials, each with nine rounds, from the same distance from the target, same surface and same shooting form. The results emphasized a consistency with the assumptions that semi-automatic rifle shell casings land to the right and in front of the shooter and that semi-automatic handgun shell casings land to the right and back of the shooter. The results also draw attention to the fluctuating distances and angles of the spent shell casings. These results demonstrate that determining a shooter’s location solely on the location of spent shell casings can only lead to a cautious location of the shooter.
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