The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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It is rare that an assailant kills someone and afterward commits suicide by stabbing himself on the scene. This report describes how a young soldier killed his young girlfriend and then killed himself.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Dec 1990
Case ReportsAutomatic rifle injuries: suicide by eight bullets. Report of an unusual case and a literature review.
A 25-year-old man committed suicide by shooting himself with eight bullets fired from a military rifle set on automatic. This rifle has two firing modes: an automatic mode and a self-loading, single-shot mode. Using this case as an example, some important aspects of firearm injuries are discussed with special emphasis on those points that are relevant to automatic military rifles and most applicable to forensic pathology practice. ⋯ Lastly, the most important points that help the pathologist to determine the type or nature of a firearm death--that is, whether it is an accident, homicide, or a suicide--are discussed. Classically, the number of the firearm wounds is used to differentiate suicide from homicide. As in the case reported here, however, when an automatic rifle or a military rifle set on automatic is used, the number of wounds is not a reliable indicator of the type of death.