Isn’t it important for the police and ME in a shooting death to know the load in the shotgun shell used.?
Wouldn’t it be an important piece of information in a shooting death, for the police and the ME to know the size of the load used to kill the victim with a 12 ga shotgun during the investigation to make a ruling on the manner of death? Wouldn’t it matter if it was birdshot or buckshot? I read a story where the police investigators and the ME never even removed the shell casing that inflicted the fatal shot from the shot gun. The size of the load in a shotgun shell is on the side of the casing. How do they determine anything with out even knowing the size of the shot used? Do they just guess? No autopsy or ballistics test were performed not even a toxicology was done. And there were two shots fired and they left the first shell casing lying on the ground isn’t that also evidence? It was a very curious story to me I just wanted to know what the proceedure would be in a case like that, when no witnesses were present. Shouldn’t it be fully investigated?
Posted in used shotguns
February 7th, 2010 at 3:01 am
Usually on a 12 guage shotgun the spent casing will have the size number of the laod in it. It is a very useful piece of info to have this number, as it may be able to tie in that case, with outstanding cold cases.
And trust me, if someone is shot in the chest with a shotgun, all you’ll see is a hole in them, there will be residual buckshot in the areas and that will determine the size of the shot.
February 7th, 2010 at 3:01 am
Yes – it should be fully investigated.
You are absolutely correct.