TABLE 10. Number* and percentage† of homicides, by precipitating circumstances and decedent's sex — National Violent Death Reporting System, 18 states,§ 2014.
| Male | Female | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitating circumstances | No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) |
| Mental health/substance abuse | |||
| Other substance abuse problem (excludes alcohol) | 306 (10.1) | 111 (11.0) | 417 (10.3) |
| Alcohol problem | 134 (4.4) | 41 (4.1) | 175 (4.3) |
| Current diagnosed mental health problem | 106 (3.5) | 50 (5.0) | 156 (3.9) |
| History of ever being treated for a mental health problem | 62 (2.0) | 33 (3.3) | 95 (2.3) |
| Current mental health treatment | 47 (1.5) | 25 (2.5) | 72 (1.8) |
| Current depressed mood | 9 (<1.0) | 9 (<1.0) | 18 (<1.0) |
| Other addiction (e.g., gambling or sexual) | 3 (<1.0) | 2 (<1.0) | 5 (<1.0) |
| Interpersonal | |||
| Intimate partner violence-related | 269 (8.8) | 480 (47.6) | 749 (18.5) |
| Family relationship problem | 183 (6.0) | 83 (8.2) | 266 (6.6) |
| Other relationship problem (nonintimate) | 178 (5.9) | 35 (3.5) | 213 (5.3) |
| Jealousy (lovers’ triangle) | 58 (1.9) | 48 (4.8) | 106 (2.6) |
| Victim of interpersonal violence within past month | 27 (<1.0) | 44 (4.4) | 71 (1.8) |
| Perpetrator of interpersonal violence within past month | 37 (1.2) | 6 (<1.0) | 43 (1.1) |
| Life stressor | |||
| Argument or conflict | 1,152 (37.9) | 312 (30.9) | 1,464 (36.2) |
| Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl) | 430 (14.1) | 54 (5.4) | 484 (12.0) |
| Crisis within previous or upcoming 2 weeks | 220 (7.2) | 98 (9.7) | 318 (7.9) |
| History of child abuse/neglect | 25 (<1.0) | 21 (2.1) | 46 (1.1) |
| Crime and criminal activity | |||
| Precipitated by another crime | 1,228 (40.4) | 285 (28.2) | 1,513 (37.4) |
| Crime in progress¶ | 711 (57.9) | 142 (49.8) | 853 (56.4) |
| Drug involvement | 418 (13.8) | 50 (5.0) | 468 (11.6) |
| Gang-related | 207 (6.8) | 26 (2.6) | 233 (5.8) |
| Terrorist attack | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Homicide event | |||
| Caretaker abuse/neglect led to death | 104 (3.4) | 101 (10.0) | 205 (5.1) |
| Victim used a weapon | 184 (6.1) | 7 (<1.0) | 191 (4.7) |
| Drive-by shooting | 115 (3.8) | 12 (1.2) | 127 (3.1) |
| Walk by assault | 105 (3.5) | 11 (1.1) | 116 (2.9) |
| Justifiable self defense | 105 (3.5) | 3 (<1.0) | 108 (2.7) |
| Brawl | 94 (3.1) | 7 (<1.0) | 101 (2.5) |
| Mentally ill suspect | 60 (2.0) | 41 (4.1) | 101 (2.5) |
| Random violence | 59 (1.9) | 20 (2.0) | 79 (2.0) |
| Victim was a bystander | 39 (1.3) | 28 (2.8) | 67 (1.7) |
| Victim was an intervener assisting a crime victim | 19 (<1.0) | 3 (<1.0) | 22 (<1.0) |
| Prostitution | 12 (<1.0) | 7 (<1.0) | 19 (<1.0) |
| Victim was a police officer on duty | 11 (<1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 11 (<1.0) |
| Stalking | 3 (<1.0) | 6 (<1.0) | 9 (<1.0) |
| Mercy killing | 0 (0.0) | 6 (<1.0) | 6 (<1.0) |
| Hate crime | 2 (<1.0) | 1 (<1.0) | 3 (<1.0) |
| Total homicides with precipitating circumstances | 3,040 (100) | 1,009 (100) | 4,049 (100) |
* Includes homicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. Total numbers do not equal the sums of the columns because more than one circumstance could have been present per decedent. Circumstances were unknown for 1,051 decedents (905 males and 145 females; sex was unknown for one decedent).
† Denominator includes only those homicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. The sum of percentages in columns exceeds 100% because more than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
§ Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
¶ Denominator includes only those decedents involved in an incident that was precipitated by another crime.