Close-range suicidal discharge of a shotgun below the chin. There is marked powder blackening of the chin and a ragged and irregular exit wound on the cheek. A suicidal shotgun discharge below the chin typically causes massive, instantly fatal injuries. The blast creates extensive cavitation, fracturing the mandible and skull base while ejecting brain matter. Soot deposition, stippling, and muzzle imprint may be present if fired at contact range. Internal injuries include catastrophic cerebral destruction, vertebral fractures, and hemorrhage. High-velocity gases expand rapidly, often causing skull fragmentation. Blood spatter patterns, back spatter on the firearm, and brain ejection aid forensic reconstruction. The downward or backward trajectory depends on the angle of discharge. Autopsy confirms self-inflicted nature through wound characteristics, firearm residue, and lack of defensive injuries.
Fig.1 Suicidal discharge of a shotgun below the chin.
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