Death due to airgun injury: a case report.

ABSTRACT

In medicolegal practice, the examination of injuries is very important to solve the medicolegal problems like weapon identification, age of the injury, fatality, ante mortem or postmortem etc. Commonly the firearms are classified like rifled guns and smooth bored guns. Usually cases encountered are from these weapons. In these weapons gun powder is used to propel the projectile. The preliminary knowledge of these weapons is important to identify the weapon. In case of airgun, compressed air is used to propel the projectile. An airgun is a rifle, pistol or shotgun which fires projectiles by means of compressed air or gas in contrast to a firearm which burns a propellant. Most airguns use metallic projectiles called as pellets. The death due airgun is rare. The death that happened in this case is discussed in detail due to rarity of its kind. During the injury examination, the analysis of the injury is important. Its size, shape, nature of margins, abrasions coller, grease coller, tattooing, soot, and burns are all to be noted in firearm injuries to decide the weapon, entry or exit wound etc.