Double suicidal gunshot wounds to the heart

Abstract

A case of double gunshot wounds to the heart is reported, where police investigations determined the manner of death to be suicide. In addition, the autopsy findings supported this conclusion. The localization, appearance, and mutual relations of the inflicted wounds, as well as the direction of the bullet trajectories, helped to determine the most probable sequence of events. The victim had been able to act after the first shot and inflict the second shot as the conduction system of the heart was at least partially preserved. Even when the circumstances indicate the most probable manner of death, multiple gunshot wounds represent a challenge for forensic pathologists; a victim’s ability to act after the first shot must be determined with respect to the degree of initial incapacitation. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.