[Fatal shotgun use in peace time]

On the suggestion of Conzelmann et al. (1977) and Lerch (1982), 176 shooting fatalities with 249 shot wounds in the South Baden region were evaluated in a multi-dimensional analysis of such data as place of death, autopsy findings, forensic examinations, and police and court files. Data were collected on incident, victim, culprit, weapon used, motive and the special circumstances of each case. The greatest number of deaths are suicides of inebriated men using handguns of medium-size caliber (7.65 and 9 mm), followed by homicidal shooting deaths, some involving multiple shots at longer range, though one-third were at close range. 78% of the shots fired from rifles and shotguns were in connection with suicides, 50% involved small-caliber weapon, 86% of the victims were men. Only 7% of the 131 shooting suicides, but 36% of the 39 homicides, involved women. 58% of the women who died a shooting death were victims (not seldom followed by their mates committing suicide), men were victims in only 17% of the cases. 98% of the suicidal and one-third of the homicidal shots were fired at close range. Rifles or shotguns were used in 12% of the homicides, but also in 27% of the suicides. Yet according to witnesses, every 10th victim, though mortally wounded in the head, chest, or abdomen, was still capable of action for some time. Every 7th suicides was still clutching the weapon after death. Half of the suicides involving unusual shots were committed by women. In 50% of the homicides, the killer was either the mate or a relative of the victim, was between 40 and 60 years of age, and committed suicide after shooting his mate. In 78% of the cases, killer and victim knew each other. Two-thirds of all the suicides occurred in the home, with the bedroom being the preferred scene in 25% of the cases.