Two bullets were fired in all and not three
Mark Micallef reports today in Times of Malta that two bullets were found missing from Manuel Mallia’s driver’s standard-issue Glock, and not three.
This tallies with the fact that there are two bullet-holes in Morrison Smith’s car, not three. This tallies with initial reports on this website and Malta Right Now shortly after the shooting that eyewitnesses in Triq Wied Il-Kappara heard two shots specifically.
When it was thought a third shot had been fired, questions obviously arose as to whether Mallia’s driver was shooting while driving after the other car.
Turns out he did not. He shot while standing next to GM14 straight into the back of Smith’s car as Smith drove off, just as the eyewitnesses said at the time.
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This simply concludes that there wasn’t even one warning shot as both bullets used hit Mr. Smith’s car.
And the third one was a parking sensor.
Personally I think counting the number of missing rounds/shells in the magazine to ascertain number of shots fired is not 100% accurate.
This is because it does not take into account the possibility that said pistol (Glock) may have been carried around with a chambered round.
Total capacity would then be 18 rounds (17 in the magazine + 1 in the chamber). I hope all other investigative leads are exhausted before committing to the “two shots” version.
It’s common knowledge that one can easily get hold of extra rounds (not bullets) from members of gun shooting clubs.
A round is a loaded cartridge with a bullet fixed to it.
Shooting at the back of a retreating car driven by an unarmed driver who had just made an attakk fahxi fuq il-mera tal-karozza tal-ministru. So macho.
Excuse my trooper’s language, but this train of logic is bollocks.
“Two bullets missing” is not the language of a proper forensic report. What does it mean? That 10 rounds were found in the magazine which usually contains 12 rounds? How many rounds were in the magazine to start with? Was a round chambered before the pistol was fired? That means you can fire off 3 rounds and the mag would still only be 2 rounds short.
Does it mean only 2 spent cartridges were found? Then that gives us a minimum of rounds fired, not a maximum.
I’m sorry, but I’m not an idiot. Neither are the 5%.
A Glock 17 holds seventeen 9 millimetre standard rounds.
But your argument is right.
That’s why the proper use of the words bullets, rounds and cartridge cases is important.
If everything is “bullets” then we will end up all confused.
Exactly!
Like I had observed, three bullet holes are proof that a minimum of three shots were fired and not a maximum.
Perhaps the magazine was changed. Perhaps the bullets missed their target and lie in fields along Regional road.
I thought issuing of bullets to the Forces is audited or am I wrong?
I’m quite uncomfortable with the fact that Morrison Smith has remained silent throughout. It doesn’t change the cover-up attempt or anything about Sheehan’s inappropriate actions but why is he keeping his mouth so firmly shut after being held in custody for two days while supposedly being the victim?
If I were a victim and held in custody for two days all hell would break lose the minute I was released.
It makes more sense that the car was shot just as it was being driven off and not during the car chase.
How else could Paul Sheehan’s brother run back to his mother’s house so quickly? Surely not from the tunnel where the cars stopped.
Hahaha this is insane. The victim was held for two days in jail for nothing. I think all the blame goes to the police and those who held Smith should be suspended too.
All this reminds us actively of http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111204/local/Will-Raymond-Caruana-killer-remain-free-.396674