TABLE 4. Number, percentage,* and rate† of homicides, by decedent’s sex, age group, race/ethnicity, method used, location in which injury occurred, and victim-suspect relationship — National Violent Death Reporting System, 32 states,§ 2016.
| Characteristic | Male |
Female |
Total |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | |
|
Age group (yrs)
| ||||||
| <1 |
80 (<1.0) |
6.9 |
77 (3.6) |
7.0 |
157 (1.5)
|
7.0
|
| 1–4 |
99 (1.2) |
2.1 |
92 (4.3) |
2.1 |
191 (1.8)
|
2.1
|
| 5–9 |
52 (<1.0) |
0.9 |
37 (1.7) |
0.6 |
89 (<1.0)
|
0.8
|
| 10–14 |
42 (<1.0) |
0.7 |
35 (1.6) |
0.6 |
77 (<1.0)
|
0.6
|
| 15–19 |
841 (10.3) |
13.4 |
152 (7.1) |
2.5 |
993 (9.6)
|
8.1
|
| 20–24 |
1,614 (19.7) |
24.3 |
229 (10.7) |
3.6 |
1,844 (17.8)
|
14.2
|
| 25–29 |
1,378 (16.8) |
20.8 |
241 (11.2) |
3.7 |
1,619 (15.7)
|
12.4
|
| 30–34 |
1,056 (12.9) |
16.8 |
208 (9.7) |
3.3 |
1,264 (12.2)
|
10.1
|
| 35–44 |
1,359 (16.6) |
11.7 |
354 (16.5) |
3.0 |
1,713 (16.6)
|
7.3
|
| 45–54 |
828 (10.1) |
6.7 |
289 (13.4) |
2.3 |
1,117 (10.8)
|
4.4
|
| 55–64 |
498 (6.1) |
4.2 |
217 (10.1) |
1.7 |
715 (6.9)
|
2.9
|
| 65–74 |
228 (2.8) |
2.9 |
108 (5.0) |
1.2 |
336 (3.3)
|
2.0
|
| 75–84 |
88 (1.1) |
2.5 |
65 (3.0) |
1.4 |
153 (1.5)
|
1.9
|
| ≥85 |
20 (<1.0) |
1.6 |
42 (2.0) |
1.7 |
62 (<1.0)
|
1.6
|
| Unknown |
3 (<1.0) |
—¶ |
3 (<1.0) |
— |
6 (<1.0)
|
—
|
|
Race/Ethnicity
| ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic |
1,892 (23.1) |
3.0 |
1,040 (48.4) |
1.6 |
2,932 (28.4)
|
2.3
|
| Black, non-Hispanic |
5,010 (61.2) |
41.5 |
781 (36.3) |
5.9 |
5,792 (56.0)
|
22.9
|
| American Indian/Alaska Native, non-Hispanic |
141 (1.7) |
15.4 |
46 (2.1) |
4.8 |
187 (1.8)
|
10.0
|
| Asian/Pacific Islander |
104 (1.3) |
2.1 |
60 (2.8) |
1.1 |
164 (1.6)
|
1.6
|
| Hispanic** |
998 (12.2) |
8.6 |
214 (10.0) |
1.9 |
1,212 (11.7)
|
5.3
|
| Other |
40 (<1.0) |
— |
8 (<1.0) |
— |
48 (<1.0)
|
—
|
| Unknown |
1 (<1.0) |
— |
0 (0.0) |
— |
1 (<1.0)
|
—
|
|
Method
| ||||||
| Firearm |
6,453 (78.8) |
7.0 |
1,170 (54.4) |
1.2 |
7,623 (73.8)
|
4.1
|
| Sharp instrument |
761 (9.3) |
0.8 |
337 (15.7) |
0.4 |
1,098 (10.6)
|
0.6
|
| Personal weapons (e.g., hands, feet, fists) |
290 (3.5) |
0.3 |
133 (6.2) |
0.1 |
423 (4.1)
|
0.2
|
| Blunt instrument |
271 (3.3) |
0.3 |
140 (6.5) |
0.1 |
412 (4.0)
|
0.2
|
| Hanging/strangulation/suffocation |
106 (1.3) |
0.1 |
166 (7.7) |
0.2 |
272 (2.6)
|
0.1
|
| Motor vehicle (e.g., car, bus, motorcycle, other transport vehicle) |
63 (<1.0) |
0.1 |
34 (1.6) |
<0.1 |
97 (<1.0)
|
0.1
|
| Fire/burns |
46 (<1.0) |
<0.1 |
41 (1.9) |
<0.1 |
87 (<1.0)
|
<0.1
|
| Intentional neglect |
14 (<1.0) |
— |
26 (1.2) |
<0.1 |
40 (<1.0)
|
<0.1
|
| Poisoning |
21 (<1.0) |
<0.1 |
19 (<1.0) |
— |
40 (<1.0)
|
<0.1
|
| Fall |
20 (<1.0) |
<0.1 |
3 (<1.0) |
— |
23 (<1.0)
|
<0.1
|
| Drowning |
8 (<1.0) |
— |
8 (<1.0) |
— |
16 (<1.0)
|
—
|
| Other (single method) |
29 (<1.0) |
— |
23 (1.1) |
— |
52 (<1.0)
|
—
|
| Unknown |
104 (1.3) |
— |
49 (2.3) |
— |
153 (1.5)
|
—
|
|
Location
| ||||||
| House/apartment |
3,402 (41.6) |
3.7 |
1,490 (69.3) |
1.6 |
4,892 (47.3)
|
2.6
|
| Street/highway |
2,306 (28.2) |
2.5 |
192 (8.9) |
0.2 |
2,498 (24.2)
|
1.3
|
| Motor vehicle |
788 (9.6) |
0.9 |
144 (6.7) |
0.2 |
932 (9.0)
|
0.5
|
| Parking lot/public garage/public transport |
390 (4.8) |
0.4 |
36 (1.7) |
<0.1 |
426 (4.1)
|
0.2
|
| Commercial/retail area |
279 (3.4) |
0.3 |
28 (1.3) |
<0.1 |
307 (3.0)
|
0.2
|
| Natural area |
155 (1.9) |
0.2 |
54 (2.5) |
0.1 |
209 (2.0)
|
0.1
|
| Other location†† |
596 (7.3) |
— |
143 (6.7) |
— |
739 (7.1)
|
—
|
| Unknown |
270 (3.3) |
— |
62 (2.9) |
— |
333 (3.2)
|
—
|
|
Relationship of victim to suspect§§
| ||||||
| Acquaintance/friend |
1,009 (35.2) |
1.1 |
153 (10.5) |
0.2 |
1,162 (26.9)
|
0.6
|
| Spouse/intimate partner (current or former) |
215 (7.5) |
0.2 |
727 (50.1) |
0.8 |
942 (21.8)
|
0.5
|
| Other person known to victim |
519 (18.1) |
— |
104 (7.2) |
— |
623 (14.4)
|
—
|
| Stranger |
460 (16.1) |
0.5 |
99 (6.8) |
0.1 |
559 (13.0)
|
0.3
|
| Child |
165 (5.8) |
0.2 |
131 (9.0) |
0.1 |
296 (6.9)
|
0.2
|
| Other relative |
189 (6.6) |
— |
72 (5.0) |
— |
261 (6.0)
|
—
|
| Parent |
117 (4.1) |
0.1 |
119 (8.2) |
0.1 |
236 (5.5)
|
0.1
|
| Rival gang member |
109 (3.8) |
0.1 |
4 (<1.0) |
— |
113 (2.6)
|
0.1
|
| Other intimate partner involvement¶¶ |
60 (2.1) |
— |
41 (2.8) |
— |
101 (2.3)
|
—
|
| Victim was law enforcement officer injured in the line of duty |
22 (<1.0) |
<0.1 |
1 (<1.0) |
— |
23 (<1.0)
|
<0.1
|
| Total | 8,186 (100) | 8.9 | 2,149 (100) | 2.3 | 10,336 (100) | 5.5 |
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding. Sex was unknown for one decedent.
† Per 100,000 population.
§ Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington collected data on ≥80% of violent deaths in the state, in accordance with requirements under which the state was funded. Denominators for the rates for these three states represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
¶ Rates not reported when number of decedents is <20 or when characteristic response is “other” or “unknown.”
** Includes persons of any race.
†† Other location includes (in descending order): bar/nightclub, hotel/motel, park/playground/sports or athletic area, abandoned house/building/warehouse, jail/prison, hospital or medical facility, supervised residential facility, office building, industrial or construction area, preschool/school/college/school bus, farm, cemetery/graveyard/other burial ground, railroad tracks, synagogue/church/temple, bridge, and other unspecified location.
§§ Percentage is based on the number of homicide decedents with a known victim-suspect relationship (n = 4,316; 2,865 male and 1,451 female); victim-suspect relationship was unknown for 6,020 decedents.
¶¶ Death was related to intimate partner violence but not between the intimate partners (e.g., a child killed by mother’s boyfriend).