Influence of Running on Pistol Shot Hit Patterns.
In shooting scene reconstructions, risk assessment of the situation can be important for the legal system. Shooting accuracy and precision, and thus risk assessment, might be correlated with the shooter's physical movement and experience. The hit patterns of inexperienced and experienced shooters, while shooting stationary (10 shots) and in running motion (10 shots) with a semi-automatic pistol, were compared visually (with confidence ellipses) and statistically. The results show a significant difference in precision (circumference of the hit patterns) between stationary shots and shots fired in motion for both inexperienced and experienced shooters. The decrease in precision for all shooters was significantly larger in the y-direction than in the x-direction. The precision of the experienced shooters is overall better than that of the inexperienced shooters. No significant change in accuracy (shift in the hit pattern center) between stationary shots and shots fired in motion can be seen for all shooters.
Firearms and Ammunition, Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Wim
W
Kerkhoff
Forensic Science, Interdisciplinary Investigations, Statistics and Knowledge Management, Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Annabel
A
Bolck
Firearms and Ammunition, Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Erwin J A T
EJ
Mattijssen
forensic science; hit pattern; hit pattern changes; pistol shot dispersion; shooting in motion; shooting while running; stationary shooting