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Published on: May 9, 2019
Evaluation of shotgun suicides in Konya, Turkey between 2000 and 2007
Serafettin Demirci1, Kamil Hakan Dogan, Idris Deniz
1From the *Department of Forensic Medicine, Meram Medical School, Necmettin Erbakan University; and †Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey; ‡Department of Forensic Medicine, Burhan Nalbantoglu Hospital, Lefkosa, Nicosia, Cyprus; and §Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
Abstract:
The number of the suicides is increasing all around the world. In this study, the cases autopsied between 2000 and 2007 in The Konya Branch of Forensic Medicine Council were retrospectively investigated. Fifty-seven shotgun suicides were determined. The cases were evaluated in terms of their demographic characters, site of entrance wound, the type of the cartridge used, shooting distance, the place of incident, the place of death, motive for suicide, and the presence of previous suicide attempts. The most preferred site of entrance wound was the head with 34 cases (59.7%). Of 34 cases in which the entrance wound was on the head, there was indirect mandibular fracture in 16 cases (47.1%). In 11 cases (19.3%), there observed small ecchymosed abrasions on the finger surfaces, which are thought to have resulted from the trigger kicking back during triggering or the finger having been stuck between the trigger and the trigger guard. It is concluded that there is a need for a legal regulation that makes obtaining of shotguns more difficult and the people who have them are to be educated not to keep them in easily accessible places.
