Staging is not usually present. Common Forensic Findings. The forensic finding most prevalent in an authority killing is the use of more than one firearm, and often the weapons selected are of the semiautomatic variety. The weapons often are selected for quick firing and may be of more than one caliber. Therefore, various and numerous shell casings may be found at the scene, which will help establish the number of rounds fired.
Wounds usually are severe and numerous.
Multiple wounds on a victim may suggest the primary target, and the killing of the primary target may prompt the suicide of the offender. If the primary target is not taken, the offender may commit suicide or surrender when he runs out of ammunition. The offender will have a history of paranoid behavior and openly voicing dissatisfaction with general or specific circumstances in his life. There are usually long-term precipitating and predisposing factors in the development of this state, and a likely result is emotional or mental illness. The mental disorders commonly found among authority killers are depressive reactions, paranoia, or paranoid psychosis.