Two Cases of Tandem Bullets—One Homicide and One Suicide

Abstract

We report 2 unusual cases of tandem bullets. Case 1 is a homicide involving a piggyback screw. Case 2 is a suicide involving multiple tandem bullets as a result of improper ammunition size. Tandem bullet injuries can have a wide variety of presentations. Therefore, it is essential that forensic pathologists understand the mechanisms of tandem bullet wounds and familiarize themselves with the autopsy and radiological findings seen in tandem bullet injuries. This report supports that use of incorrect caliber ammunition and the lodgment of foreign objects in the barrel of a gun are possible causes of tandem bullet injuries.

Interpol review of forensic firearm examination 2019–2022

“…Two papers both describe two fatalities with an unusual use of firearms [29,82]. Khau and Melinek presents two cases in which persons were killed with atypical, multiple projectiles [ 182 ]. In the first case a ‘piggyback’ screw was fired along with a bullet.…”

Tandem bullets: case report and ballistic analysis

“…As for internal injuries, numerous harmful scenarios have been reported: from more superficial wounds with bullet retention in subcutaneous tissues (Rabl et al 1998) to lethal and penetrating injuries. These can involve both more exposed organs due to a lower thickness of bone and muscle tissues, such as the brain (Khau and Melinek 2019a), and deeper structures such as the heart, despite the interposition of greater osteo-muscular tissue (Fortes Picoli et al 2020;Khau and Melinek 2019b).…”