Error Reduction in the Examination of a Gunshot Victim

 

Errors in the examination of a gunshot victim:

(1) failure to preserve and examine clothing for gunshot holes and residues

(2) failure to examine a gunshot wound and collect evidence before the area was washed or shaved

(3) failure to take appropriate photographs to document wounds

(4) probing wounds too aggressively, creating false bullet tracks

(5) failure to use imaging studies to detect all of the ballistic evidence

(6) failure to maintain chain of custody on ballistic evidence

(7) inadequate description of postmortem findings

(8) destroying rifling marks during recovering or handling