Kronlein-shot: homicide by shotgun under the disguise of accident

Firearm injuries are a growing public health problem in India. Firearm injuries over the head are routinely encountered in the practice of forensic medicine. The head injury caused by a country made firearm can be mistaken as a vehicular accident or it can mimic an explosion. Therefore, the responsibility of forensic expert in such cases is of great value. It is obvious that if he is unable to furnish proper interpretation of the antemortem findings, pangs of justice will be disturbed. One such case of fatal head injury was brought to us for autopsy examination in which the referring doctor and investigating officers suggested that the head injury occurred due to vehicular accident while actually it was a result of a homicidal attack by a country made firearm. The implication and proposed mechanism of firearm injury in this case with its medicolegal aspects are discussed in detail as it is rare of its kind and similar to “Kronlein-Shot”.