Quantitative Analysis of High Velocity Bloodstain Patterns: A Double Blind Investigation of Impact Velocity Assessment

The goal of this study is to establish statistically significant classifications of blood spatter patterns resulting from the interactions between a weapon, suspect and victim. Specifically, a "medium velocity" spatter pattern is usually attributed to blunt force injury, while a "high velocity" pattern is typically attributed to a gunshot wound. The differentiation between these classifications, however, is often qualitative and controversial. This study will provide objective and quantitative methods for the differentiation of medium and high velocity bloodstain patterns. ca/ncf