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REX GEDUHN
| WESTVIEW, B.C.

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a digression from the original question will
not be out of place in discussing additional
information which can be gathered from
broken glass.

Let us take first of all gunshots through
glass. A great deal of information can be
gathered from holes through a pane of glass.
A few years ago, two police officers were
shot and killed by bandits as the latter were
escaping. The officers were standing on the
side of the road and were killed by shots
fired through the rear window of the “‘get-
away car. Later the culprits were brought
to trial, and in their defence, alleged that
the police officers had fired first, and that
being under the impression the police
officers were themselves bandits, they had
returned the fire with fatal results to the
two officers.

An expert on glass was called on behalf
of the prosecution, who was able to prove
that the first shot was fired from within
the speeding car, and that the shots fired
by the officers were fired after those from
the bandits’ guns. This resulted in breaking
down the case for the defence.

To explain how information can be
secured from pieces of glass the theory of
breaking glass must first of all be examined.
A pane of glass bends when force is applied
to it. When it has reached the limit of its
ability to bend, it cracks, the break starting
on the side farthest from the force. As the
break occurs, new bends take place, this
time towards the direction of force, and
therefore cracks appear on this side. The
first cracks are called “radial fractures”,
while the secondary cracks are called ‘“con-
centric fractures”. The illustrations accom-
panying this article will assist in following
the text.

When a bullet strikes a pane of glass,
radial fractures often extend across the
pane. Each radial crack really breaks up
the pane into two panes, and any sub-
sequent shots fired through the glass which
result in new radial fractures will be
“stopped” by preceeding fractures. By this
means it is possible to tell the rotation of
fire from two guns of different calibre, or
from shots fired from inside or outside. The
illustration will clarify this.

It is possible also to tell the calibre, and
often the velocity of a bullet striking a pane
of glass. The theory is that the bullet with

".22 calibre bullet of low velocity made,

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high velocity will leave a much smaller hole
than a bullet of the same calibre with low
velocity. Experiments have shown that ;

hole as big if not bigger, than a .45 calibre
bullet of high velocity. However the kind
and age of the glass are no doubt variable
factors in tests of this kind.

The illustrations will also show how the
point of entry and the point of exit ar
determined, and whether a bullet has been
fired at an acute angle or at right angles tn
a plate of glass. The effect of bullet holes
through safety glass with plastic reinforce |
ment, and through glass with wire mesh
are also illustrated.

It will also be noted that if the fractures |
occasioned by several bullets do not inter
cept each other, no determination can he
made relative to rotation or sequence.

The angle at which a shot passed through
a pane of glass will often be of great value
to the investigator, as it will give him an
idea of the direction from which the shot

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Page Forty-two

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