Trajectory Reconstruction
Definition
The forensic procedure that integrates the osteological bevel direction, angle-of-impact estimate, and the physical scene evidence to reconstruct the relative positions of the muzzle and the victim at the moment of the shot; requires collaboration between the forensic anthropologist and the firearms examiner.
- Inputs
- Bevel direction, angle-of-impact estimate, scene evidence
- Purpose
- Reconstruct relative muzzle-to-victim position
- Collaborators
- Forensic anthropologist and firearms examiner
- Output
- Shot geometry at the moment of impact
Common questions
Why does trajectory reconstruction need both an anthropologist and a firearms examiner?+
The anthropologist interprets bone beveling and entry-exit angle from skeletal trauma, while the firearms examiner interprets ballistic and scene evidence such as cartridge case ejection patterns, together triangulating the shooting geometry.
What can trajectory reconstruction not determine on its own?+
It establishes relative geometry, such as muzzle direction and approximate impact angle, but generally cannot pin down exact shooting distance or the shooter's identity without additional scene and ballistic evidence.
Related terms
- Bearing Surface Diameter
- The diameter of the projectile face in contact with the bone surface at the moment of impact; smaller than the resulting defect...
- Contact Wound
- A firearm wound produced when the muzzle is pressed against or within a few centimetres of the target surface. Characterised by a...
- External Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an exit gunshot wound in bone: the inner table diameter (entry face of the defect) is smaller...
- GSR (Gunshot Residue)
- Primer-combustion products (classically lead-barium-antimony compounds, now also non-lead formulations) deposited on the bone surface at close or contact range; detected by SEM-EDX...
- Internal Beveling
- The cone-shaped defect geometry at an entrance gunshot wound in bone: the outer table diameter (entry face) is smaller than the inner...
- Keyhole Defect
- An asymmetric gunshot defect produced by a projectile striking bone at a shallow angle; one end shows a conventional beveled entry geometry...
- Puppe's Rule
- The 1994 formalisation of the principle that radial fractures from a subsequent gunshot terminate at fracture lines already produced by a prior...
- Secondary Projectile
- A bone fragment or other material driven at high velocity through adjacent tissue by the primary projectile's passage through bone; produces irregular,...
- Stellate Fracture
- A set of radial cracks extending outward from the main gunshot defect, produced by compressed propellant gas pressure radiating under the scalp...