title: The meaning of an accessory projectile.
abstract: A previously expended pistol casing was removed from a gunshot wound after an apparent accidental shooting. Examination of this foreign body indicated it had ridden the bore ahead of the bullet. Further investigation disclosed this as a deliberate but ignorant means to load an already loaded weapon. The assailants then fired at a passerby and killed him. Disclosure of the foreign body by X-ray, recovery and examination at autopsy were used to corroborate the circumstances and allowed charges of criminally negligent homicide to be placed.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee, Memphis.
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Berryman
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Symes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000473:pathology*; D005389:Firearms; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology*