It was determined that based on the findings of the deceased's autopsy, "his death was caused by severe traumatic damage to the heart and lungs due to the passage of the bullet channel through his torso. The direction of the passage of the bullet channel from back to front.
In addition, a bullet entry wound was found in the shoulder on the left side of the back with the bullet channel passing through the soft tissues of the torso in a back-forward direction." It was noted that the passage of this bullet channel did not damage vital organs and therefore, most likely, did not contribute to death.
In addition, abrasion wounds were found on the head and lower left limb, most likely caused by a fall.
- Subsequently, in a letter of clarification dated June 6, 2023 (P/82), Dr. Kotik retracted his initial conclusion regarding the direction of the shooting.
In his testimony in court, Dr. Kotik explained that at the time of writing his initial opinion, he was acting under cognitive bias, under the influence of watching a video documenting the incident, in which the defendant is seen shooting at the deceased's back. However, after consulting with other experts at the Institute, Dr. Kotik reached a different conclusion, as detailed in P/82.
It was detailed that after consulting with another expert at the Institute, rewatching the video and holding a discussion with the participation of the Institute's doctors, including the Institute's director, Dr. Chen Kugel, there was a consensus among all the doctors regarding the direction of the shooting. The conclusions were summarized as follows:
Four bullet wounds were found in the body of the deceased: two bullet entry wounds in the front of the body (one in the front of the chest and the other in the front of the left shoulder) and two bullet exit wounds in the back.
The passage of the wound canal The entry of the bullet into the chest, through the heart and lungs, is fatal.
The canal passage of the other bullet entry wound located in the front of the left shoulder is through soft tissue only, so the passage of this bullet channel did not cause death.