A Remington Model 11 20-gauge shotgun, central to the investigation into the 1994 death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, was destroyed by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) in September 2022, according to emails obtained by the Daily Mail. The weapon was incinerated nearly three decades after Cobain was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Seattle home on April 8, 1994.
An email dated June 29, 2022, from SPD Capt. James Britt to Sgt. John Crumb stated that "the family wishes for the shotgun to be destroyed in accordance with state law," and instructed that it be included in the department's next gun burn. A subsequent police report confirmed the weapon's incineration on September 27, 2022. The documents do not specify which family member made the request or the exact legal basis for the destruction.
The Seattle Police Department stated that the case is closed. The destruction of the shotgun permanently removes the possibility of new forensic testing on the weapon, which has been a subject of debate and scrutiny for decades. Investigators at the time of Cobain's death did not recover legible fingerprints from the shotgun, pen, or shell casings. Four smudged and inconclusive latent prints were lifted from the weapon during the original investigation.
Kurt Cobain died at age 27, with the King County Medical Examiner ruling his death a suicide due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This conclusion has persisted despite ongoing theories, including claims from independent researchers who suggest physical evidence might point to homicide. These researchers have questioned the absence of identifiable fingerprints on the shotgun, the weapon's position at the scene, and the official account of how Cobain could have operated the firearm.
The shotgun was purchased for Cobain by his friend Dylan Carlson, with a receipt dated March 30, 1994, found in Cobain's jacket pocket. The weapon remained in SPD custody for 28 years before its destruction. Washington state law permits police to dispose of firearms no longer needed as evidence, provided ownership and disposal requirements are met.
The original SPD evidence file detailed the shotgun (serial number 1088925), two unspent shells, and one spent shell found near Cobain's body, along with a box containing 22 additional rounds. Other items recovered included a handwritten note, film rolls, photographs, cigarette butts, an empty root beer can, a cigar box, a wallet, cigarettes, a lighter, dark glasses, a hat, two towels, and $120 in cash.
The evidence was placed under strict controls following Cobain's discovery. In a memo dated April 9, 1994, homicide Sgt. Don Cameron emphasized that no item could be examined or removed without permission from himself or Capt. Larry Farrar, issued while evidence processing was underway amidst intense international attention.
In 2014, SPD revisited the case when detectives discovered four rolls of 35mm film from the scene had not been developed. The resulting photographs offered clearer views of the scene but did not alter the suicide determination. Photographs of the shotgun were released in 2016, but the weapon itself was destroyed six years later. Gary Cobain, Kurt's uncle, has previously expressed his belief that his nephew was murdered, stating, "There should've been prints all over the gun." He also suggested Cobain may have placed the barrel in his mouth before firing.