Preliminary development of a bleeding layer to assess the effect of a ballistic impact on textile damage. (July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Carr, D.J.; Featherstone, M.; Malbon, C.; Miller, D.; Teagle, M.
• Is Part Of: Forensic science international. Volume 288(2018)
• Page Start: 169
• Page End: 172
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Subjects: Blood -- Swine tissue -- Single jersey knit -- Pistol ammunition -- Bullet wipe -- Forensic reconstruction; Medical jurisprudence -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Forensic -- Periodicals; Forensic Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine légale -- Périodiques; Chimie légale -- Périodiques; Gerechtelijke geneeskunde; Gerechtelijke chemie; Gerechtelijke psychiatrie; Chemistry, Forensic; Medical jurisprudence; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.04.031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0379-0738

Abstract

Highlights: A bleeding layer for ballistic textile damage investigations has been investigated. Two types of common pistol ammunition were used during the testing. Damage to one type of fabric representing commonly worn clothing is reported. The bleeding layer changed the appearance of the textile damage and dispersed the bullet wipe. Abstract: When a person is shot, they are generally wearing clothing which will be damaged by the perforation of the bullet. There are relatively few reports of such textile damage in the literature and the effect of blood on the textile damage observed is not reported. The appearance of textile damage caused by bullet impacts is further compounded by the diverse nature of (i) fabrics used in apparel and (ii) ammunition types. In this work, the effect of blood on textile damage due to ballistic impact was investigated by the development of a specimen that incorporated blood. The specimens were impacted with two types of pistol ammunition that are commonly available (i) 9 mm Luger HP (8.03 g; Federal Premium ® Law Enforcement; jacketed hollow-point) and (ii) .357 Magnum (10.24 g; Express ® Pistol and Revolver; Remington, R357M3, flat-nose soft-point). The resulting textile damage was compared to that in specimens without a bleeding layer. The interaction of blood with textile damage caused by a bullet-impact affected the appearance of the textile damage and resulted in the dispersion of the bullet wipe. These results are important in the content of evidence examined by a textile damage assessor compared to what might be seen in a typical re-creation event in a laboratory. The use of a bleeding layer in textile damage investigations due to ballistic impact resulted in a more realistic scenario.