Trayvon Martin killed by single gunshot fired from 'intermediate range,' autopsy shows

NBC News and msnbc.com ^ | May 16, 2012

[Free ThinkerNY]

Florida teenager Trayvon Martin died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired from “intermediate range,” according to an autopsy report reviewed Wednesday by NBC News.

The official report, prepared by the medical examiner in Volusia County, Fla., also found that the 17-year-old Martin had one other fresh injury – a small abrasion, no more than a quarter-inch in size – on his left ring finger below the knuckle.

Separately, a medical report on Martin’s alleged killer, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, prepared by his personal physician the day after Martin’s shooting in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, found that the Neighborhood Watch volunteer suffered a likely broken nose, swelling, two black eyes and cuts to the scalp. That report, first reported Tuesday by ABC News, also was reviewed by NBC News.

Both documents are part of a mountain of evidence – up to 300 pages and 67 CDs of witness statements, surveillance videos and other material-- expected to be made public soon in connection with the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman.

[goseminoles]

Thanks for your response. Hence, the inquiry. I think distance will be a make or break for this case. It will be a forensic case...

[dsammons]

I read somewhere shortly after this all broke that the only shell casing found at the seen was still in the gun. This means the gun did not cycle, slide did not move enough to eject the fired case. Who held the slide, or was it just a bad round that killed Travon?

[bitterohiogunclinger]

“I want to know how a 9mm, even out of a Keltec from just a few inches away, doesn’t exit the body.”

There could be several reasons:
Great bullet design.
The bullet path is along the long axis of the body rather than straight front to back.
Great bullet design, etc.

[Dick Vomer]

I want to know how a 9mm, even out of a Keltec from just a few inches away, doesn’t exit the body.

a very nice expanding round, going through layered clothing, maybe hitting his sternum or rib and just expanding and dissipating energy as it's cutting through some blood vessels.

Or something similar to that.

[Noob1999]

............. think distance will be a make or break for this case..................Probably right!

Of course if the punk was pounding Zim’s head into the walkway, he would have been doing it straight arm, not huddled over Zim.

So that puts his torso above Zim by a foot or more, a bullet goes through Zims clothes, through punk hoodie and clothes, maybe even through a pack of “skittles” and takes punk out. Bullet didn't have the velocity to make it through punk's body, maybe because of so many impediments in the way.

Perhaps we should channel JFK to find out the trajectory of the magic bullet that took him down.

[VeniVidiVici]

Here is a pretty decent ballistic chart for a Keltec P-11. His comment on the FMJ round at the bottom is pretty funny.

[Rastus]

---

I want to know how a 9mm, even out of a Keltec from just a few inches away, doesn’t exit the body.

---

Martin was fortified with Skittles.

[FreedomPoster]

I’ve seen that said earlier here, but nothing with a link, and nothing I could find. Do you have a source on that?

[Mr Rogers]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/20/george-zimmerman-released-on-150-000-bail-sorry-for-trayvon-s-loss.html

[VeniVidiVici]

Martin was fortified with Skittles.

LOL!

[FreedomPoster]

Lefties are already trying to spin “Intermediate range” as “at some significant distance such that Jorge could have broken off the engagement.”

http://www.firearmsid.com/A_distanceResults.htm

Intermediate Range Gunshot

An intermediate range gunshot usually will deposit a significant amount of particulate residue that is not easily seen with the eye but can be detected through a microscopic examination and through chemical testing. The results may read something like:

Exhibit 1 (shirt) was found to have a bullet entrance hole in the chest area. A deposit of gunshot residues were found around this hole that are consistent with those that would be deposited by an intermediate range gunshot.

An intermediate range gunshot, like that seen in the above image, can range from just beyond the 12-inch range out to 24 to 36 inches. This depends greatly upon the caliber, barrel length and powder type used in the ammunition.

[FreedomPoster]

Thanks.

[FreedomPoster]

>>The bullet path is along the long axis of the body rather than straight front to back.

Seems not-unlikely given Jorge laying back on the ground with Tray sitting on top of him, pummeling away. George pulls and fires, hits low in the torso on an upward path, bullet ends up traveling from the bottom to the top of the thorax. Lots of vital stuff in there.

[editor-surveyor]

>> Someone not know how to spell “indeterminate”? <<

.
You are not very familiar with guns, are you!

There is no such thing as indeterminate when it comes to gunshots in close proximity.

[editor-surveyor]

Back when ammo was cheap, I used to prune oak trees with a .357.

A 4” or 5” tree can be taken down with one well placed HP round.

[imardmd1]

I want to know how a 9mm, even out of a Keltec from just a few inches away, doesn’t exit the body.

Hollow-point fragmenting round? with BIG wound channel?

[HiTech RedNeck]

now that’s red neck

[PapaBear3625]

I read somewhere shortly after this all broke that the only shell casing found at the seen was still in the gun. This means the gun did not cycle, slide did not move enough to eject the fired case. Who held the slide, or was it just a bad round that killed Travon?

If the gun did not cycle (and I've heard conflicting reports about that), the most likely scenarios are (1) Trayvon was holding the slide and preventing it from cycling, (2) the gun was being held close to Zimmerman and the slide bumped against his body, (3) mechanical problem (case fracture, bad extractor).

I think 1 or 2 are more likely and fit the scenario.

[aruanan]

You are not very familiar with guns, are you!

There is no such thing as indeterminate when it comes to gunshots in close proximity.

You were missing the point. The article said, "intermediate," which, by definition, is not "close proximity." I thought it more likely the original word was "indeterminate," meaning they weren't able to determine exactly how far away from the gun Trayvon was when he got nailed. That makes more sense in the context of trying to figure out what happened than the even less certain "intermediate range," unless, of course, "intermediate range" has a fixed meaning, say, "far enough away not to get powder burns but close enough for that particular caliber and round to effect the observed degree of damage."

[Fresh Wind]

Martin was fortified with Skittles.

Well, according to Justice Brother Sharpton, Martin was fortified with skillets. A good skillet would stop just about any bullet, so Z-Man must have been using some of Specter's magic bullets.