Fatal gunshots in the Tri-City metropolitan area, Poland between 1998 and 2021.

Abstract

This study analyzes 92 firearm fatalities, including 54 suicides and 26 homicides, in the Tri-City area, Poland between 1998 and 2021. The firearm-related death rate was 0.44 per 100,000 residents, which is more than double the published rate for Poland (0.20). During the period under examination, there was an upward trend in the number of suicides and a decline in the number of homicides. In addition, the decrease in gun homicides was associated with rising GDP per capita over the study period, along with other noteworthy-but not statistically significant-interactions between homicides, suicides, and various economic or gun-related factors. Most victims were males (90.2%), who were older on average than the female victims. In 66 cases, there was a single gunshot wound, which was more common in suicides (92.6%) than in homicides (33.3%). The remaining cases, which included 4 suicides and 16 homicides, involved multiple gunshot wounds. In suicides, gunshot wounds to the head were predominant (77.8%) and most often to the right temporal region or mouth. Gunshot wounds to the head were less common in homicides (37.5%) than in suicides but most often located at the left temporal region, the back of the head, or the face. A higher proportion of gunshot wounds to the chest was observed in homicides (34.7%). Short-barreled firearms, most often a semi-automatic pistol, predominated in the analyzed material.