Shotgun found at Kurt Cobain death scene
On Thursday, March 17, 2016, Seattle police released recently-taken photographs of the shotgun detectives say rock legend Kurt Cobain used to kill himself on April 8, 1994. Seattle Police Department cold case homicide Det. Michael Ciesynski is pictured holding the weapon in the photos.
A rock legend's death
Cobain's body was found in a greenhouse room above the detached garage to his home in the upscale Lake Washington neighborhood of Seattle. He was clutching this shotgun.
Never-before-seen
The shotgun hasn't been seen before publicly, except for certain crime scene photos that reveal a partial view of the weapon.
A case questioned
Despite initial determinations by the coroner and the Seattle Police Department that the Nirvana front man killed himself, a range of fans and conspiracy theorists have refused to accept the death as a suicide.
Dispelling a rumor
The release of the shotgun photos -- in response to a public records act request from CBS News -- dispels a rumor propagated by conspiracy theorists that the shotgun had been melted down to hide evidence in a supposed police cover-up of a potential murder. However many remain convinced the evidence in the case points to foul play.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain is pictured performing in a June 1, 1992 photo.
Re-examining the case
This photo was among 35 never-before-seen photos released in 2014 by the Seattle Police Department. The photos were released as a part of a re-examination of the case, which concluded again the death was a suicide.
Death scene photos
This April 1994 photo provided by the Seattle Police Department shows items found at the scene of Kurt Cobain's suicide, in Seattle. The image was released in 2014 after several rolls of undeveloped film were processed in a re-examination of the Cobain case.
Death scene photos
The box of shotgun shells recovered at the scene. SPD says one of the shells from this box was used by Cobain to shoot himself. This image was released in 2014.
Death scene photos
Items at Kurt Cobain's death scene pictured in an April 1994 photo, released in 2014 by the Seattle Police Department.
