Unusual head gunshot entrance wound – An exception of rules

Abstract

�External bevelling of an entrance gunshot wound to the skull is a known, but rare entity. We present two cases of a combined external and internal bevelling of cranial entries. In the first case, a 35-year-old woman had two entrance wounds in the right half of the forehead, made by a 10.2 mm calibre bullet. Second case presents a 48-year-old man with an entry wound in the middle of the occiput, made by a 7.62 mm calibre bullet. All the entry wounds on the skin had stellate appearance. The corresponding wounds to the skull were of roughly round shape. Both the inner and the outer plates of the bone were bevelled for 2-4 mm. Bony edges of all entrance wounds were covered in soot, as a definite sign of an entry. In this case study, we underline the importance of recognizing this phenomenon in order to avoid misinterpretation of entry vs. exit wounds. © 2018 Romanian Society of Legal Medicine.