Question

Matthew is a death scene investigator responding to an apparent homicide. The decedent is a homeless man who appears to have been shot multiple times in his back while he slept prone on a concrete park bench. Upon rolling the decedent over, Matthew lifts the decedent's shirt and sees several exit wounds with highly irregular abrasions. The investigating detective observes the wounds and states, "well those can't be the exit wounds, they look nothing like exits!" Matthew has a different thought and believes that the wounds on the decedent's abdomen are ____________ and are a result of the decedent's abdomen being pressed up against the hard surface of the bench when he was shot.

A. Contact entry wounds.
B. Exit wounds .
C. Gunshot residue wounds.
D. Through-and-through wounds.

Answer 1

The wounds on the decedent's abdomen are considered to be exit wounds, appearing irregular due to the concrete surface against which the decedent was lying when shot.

Step-by-step explanation:

Matthew, the death scene investigator, believes that the wounds on the decedent's abdomen are B. Exit wounds. This assessment is likely based on the fact that the decedent was lying prone on a concrete surface when shot, which could cause the exit wounds to have highly irregular abrasions due to contact with the hard surface. The high velocity of the bullet leaving the body would cause the skin to stretch and abrade against the rough concrete surface, potentially resulting in the irregular appearance of the exit wounds, despite the detective's initial doubts.