In mobster movies, why does the gangster drop his gun at the crime scene right after he shoots someone?
It seems like they always raise it up just a little to make sure it's obvious they're dropping it.
Posted Aug 25, 2010, 2:41 AM UTC
1430
because Michael Corleone did in the Godfather.
19
Wrong. Paul Muni does the same thing in the 1932 Scarface.
7
this guy? shenanigans.
1
I'm sure it was very influential to both people who saw that.
0
exactly. they do it as a tribute to the Don
3
But when Vito kills Fanucci in II, he breaks the pistol into pieces on the rooftop and drops the pieces down different stovepipes and chimneys. I always liked this approach better.
2
What gun? I didn't see nothin'.
16
According to the movies and TV, hitmen use untraceable guns and wear gloves. You drop the murder weapon and walk away clean.
11
Evidence is used to paint a picture - preferably one with clear links between the pieces. If a gun is used in a murder and left at the scene then it's of no use to the enquiry if it can't be linked to the murderer somehow. It takes a big chunk out of the possible leads for investigators to follow.
9
Are you fucking serious? Would you walk away from a murder scene with the murder weapon in your pocket?
"C'mon officer I saw a smoking gun next to a fresh body and decided to pick it up and take it home. What...you wouldn't?"
5
You clearly have never shot anyone have you?
4
Yeah, you huge pussy. Everyone else here has!
-1
They want to make sure that any potential witnesses who see the killing tell the police "I saw him drop the murder weapon" in order to eliminate any possibility that the killer still has the weapon. The cops will find the weapon of course, but it is the witnesses who are more important because they will be watching the gun and not the person's face.
2
Cause gangsters don't dance they boogie
1
Two reasons come to mind, the first has already been said several times, the second is during gunfights when the gun runs out of bullets, instead of reloading, dropping the gun and pulling out another has a speed advantage (also known as New York Reload)
1
I believe the idea is that the gun is stolen anyway so why leave a trail of bodies shot with the same gun and make it easy to pin them all on the same person, when you can just steal another gun..
the "raise it up" is just to look like a bad ass?
1
I watched an interview with a former hitman on crime channel a few weeks ago and he said that a well oiled weapon or wearing gloves meant no viable finger prints could be lifted. The weapons he used were generally imported illegally or stolen so they couldn't be traced back to him.
Dropping it on scene meant he'd never get caught with a weapon used in a murder.
1
Dramatic effect.
1
The gun is usually tape gripped or something else that holds no fingerprints. If you drop something they can't find it on you later. Probably said many times, I'm just not into scrolling down tonight, I'm pretty drunk.
1
Possession is 9/10ths of the law.
1
That's a stupid thing to say. And it has no bearing on 'the law.'
1
in real life, terrorists, these days, drop their empty cartridges.
1
I think in Sicily the preferred method was strangulation anyway. No muss no fuss.
1
Single use gun - Not reusing it reduces the risk it can be linked to you. Also, wandering around with a murder weapon is not a great idea.
1
Most skilled hitmen IRL get rid of the guns separately; sometimes they also dispose of other possible physical evidence, such as shoes (footprints, fibers, etc) and clothing (GSR positive, blood, fibers, witness descriptions, etc).
1
To fool the police into thinking the person shot himself. DOI.
1
Because they don't want to get caught with the murder weapon. Also, this only works if the gun can't be traced back to you.
Backtr- Nah, too easy.
[deleted]
hmm upvote a partial reference.. downvote total reference..