Kennedy Phenomenon

                                                                  Kennedy Phenomenon

Kennedy Phenomenon In Ballistics

Surgical Alteration Of Gun Shot Wounds

The Kennedy Phenomenon is a concept in forensic ballistics that describes the backward displacement of bone fragments (or outward bevelling) at the entry wound of a skull when struck by a high-velocity projectile (such as a rifle bullet).

🔹 Normally, in firearm injuries:

• Entry wound in the skull → shows internal beveling (toward the brain).
• Exit wound → shows external beveling (outward, toward the scalp).

🔹 Kennedy Phenomenon exception:

• When a high-velocity bullet enters the skull, the shock waves and temporary cavity created may cause secondary fractures and outward bevelling even at the entry site.
• This makes the entry wound resemble an exit wound, complicating forensic interpretation.

⚖️ Forensic significance:

Can lead to misinterpretation of entry vs. exit wounds

                                                                                         Snapshot