A retrospective descriptive study on deaths due to firearm injuries in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Introduction: The use of firearms is a well-recognized method of committing a homicide. In Sri Lanka, the use of firearms was prominent among terrorists and underworld criminals. The analysis of the injury pattern will help to find the trends related to firearm injuries. Deaths that deviate from the routine pattern of injuries will be highlighted.Objectives: The objective of the study was to identify injury patterns in firearm-related deaths and the methods used to identify the range.Methods: The data from 40 firearm-related autopsies conducted at Offices of the Judicial Medical Officer at Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Colombo South Teaching Hospital, and Office of the Judicial Medical Officer, Colombo from 2000 to 2019 were collected from the post-mortem reports using pre-formed questionnaires and entered into the SPSS statistical package for analysis.Results: The majority were between 21 and 40 years of age (75%) and male (97.5%). Head alone was involved in 25% of deaths and head in combination with other regions was involved in 45% of the deaths. Cause of death (COD) in 50% of cases was head injuries alone and in 12.5% of cases, COD was from head injuries in combination with other injuries. The commonest circumstance was homicide in 72.5% of cases. Rifled firearm was the most common weapon used (90%). Range or the distance of fire was in the distant range in 65% of cases followed by close range in 17.5% of cases. Distance of fire was decided by the history, if available, the appearance of the entry wound, and other observations.Conclusions: Scientific evaluation of deaths following firearm injuries demands proper assessment of the range or the distance of fire based on modern technology. This becomes more relevant if there is an incompatibility with the history and the appearance of the wound, especially when deciding the circumstance of death.