Suicide or Homicide? A Case of Self-Inflicted Triple Gunshot Wound by Double-Barrel Shotgun

Differential diagnosis between suicide and homicide by firearms is still a major challenge in forensic practice, especially when multiple gunshot wounds are present. A case of self-inflicted triple wound by double-barrel shotgun is presented. A 73-year-old White male patient was found dead in a wooden area. According to investigations, he had disappeared from home the day before. The corpse was covered with clothing in a prone position on a gravel road, a short distance from a car with driver-side-door open and keys in the ignition. Next to the body, a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun was found, with 3 fired cartridges and 1 unused in the left front pocket of the trousers. No signs of struggle were present. Two penetrating wounds in the upper torso were detected by postmortem computer tomography. Autopsy showed 2 near-contact entrance wounds in the pectoral region bilaterally, each associated with exit wounds in the omni lateral hip. Only organs of "delayed incapacitation" were injured. Death was determined to be a suicide. This uncommon case of self-inflicted triple wound by shotgun highlights the importance to integrate proper analysis of the scene with autopsy findings in order to avoid misinterpretation of a suicidal death as a homicide.