title: Suicide with two guns represents a special type of combined suicide.
abstract: Suicide by simultaneous gunshots with two firearms is rare. The case of a 90-year-old man who killed himself with two 6.35 mm pistols fired at the temples at the same time is presented. The victim was found dead on the terrace of his home; two guns and two cartridges were present near the corpse. Cases of suicides with two guns published in the literature are compared, and the Italian cases are illustrated briefly. The authors describe the circumstances and autopsy findings that permitted the assertion that it was a case of suicide and to exclude an homicide and show, by figures, the three-dimensional reconstruction of cranial shooting injuries. The use of two guns is considered a representation of a special type of "combined suicide" or "planned complex suicide."
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parroni
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caringi
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciallella
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D020197:Head Injuries, Penetrating / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013405:Suicide; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000473:pathology*