AFTE Store - Crime Scene Search: Evidence at the Scene of a Shotgun Shooting

The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the valuable evidence which may be available at the scene of a shotgun shooting and the deductions which can be made based on that evidence. A brief descripton of shotgun barrels and ballistics is included, as well as the means by which the range of fire, type of weapon and ammunition and, possibly, identification of the weapon used may be determined. The scope of this paper is limited in that single “pumpkin ball” and rifled slugs, both of which may be fired from a shotgun, are not discussed as these projectiles behave more like rifle bullets than shotgun pellets. In order to recongnize and understand shotgun evidence, it is necessary to first have a basic knowledge of shotgun barrels and ballistics.