Trace Evidence Around a Bullet Hole

A bullet hole is often obvious. The more useful information is often what sits around it and along its path: primer residue, unburnt powder, lead particles, fabric damage, and other debris. Those traces can show that a hole was made by a bullet, help associate a garment or object with a shooting, and support reconstruction.

Visible image showing two bullet holes in the sleeve of a sweatshirt.

Dark or bloodstained fabric can hide that residue in ordinary light. The photograph above shows two holes in the sleeve of a navy sweatshirt. The holes are visible; obvious powder or residue is not.

Radiography can reveal radiopaque lead particles left around the hole and in the bullet’s path that are not obvious by eye.

X-ray image of the same sleeve, showing lead particles associated with the two holes.

Microtrace examines bullet holes, bullets, gunshot residues, and the interaction of a bullet with the materials it strikes. Related work includes identification of questioned holes by microscopy and elemental analysis, primer residue by scanning electron microscopy, and debris associated with a bullet’s path.

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