Seattle police release five photos of gun Kurt Cobain used to kill himself

They were made public this week

Published 18th Mar 2016

Seattle police have released photos of the gun Kurt Cobain used to kill himself almost 22 years ago.

Alongside previously released images of the scene of Kurt’s death, on Wednesday (16th March) five pictures were uploaded to the official Seattle government website of cold case Detective Mike Ciesynski holding the firearm.

They appear alongside the statement: “The department is releasing five additional photographs of the firearm, taken on or about June 11, 2015.

“These photos were placed on the City’s computer system on March 3, 2016, and added to the investigative file shortly thereafter.”

!

Two years ago ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Nirvana legend’s death, Detective Ciesynski reviewed the case file to answer the conspiracy theories.

To be wholly transparent, 34 photographs taken inside Kurt’s Lake Washington Boulevard home after his death were released.

Of his findings, Detective Ciesynski said: “Sometimes people believe what they read—some of the disinformation from some of the books, that this was a conspiracy. That’s completely inaccurate. It’s a suicide. This is a closed case.”

It was also revealed at the time that Cobain’s family and the City of Seattle were ‘seeking to block a lawsuit, filed against the Seattle Police Department earlier this year, aimed at forcing the release of a handful of graphic crime scene photographs.’

The statement continues: ‘Members of Cobain’s family have provided statements to the court, citing the emotional and potential physical harm they may face if the previously unreleased images depicting the Nirvana singer’s body, are publicly released.’

UPDATE: The shotgun photos were released in response to a public records act request from CBS News. The request was put forward to dispel a conspiracy theory that the weapon had been melted down as part of an alleged Seattle Police Department cover up.