TABLE 7. Number* and percentage† of legal intervention§ deaths, by precipitating circumstances and decedent’s sex — National Violent Death Reporting System, 32 states,¶ 2016.
| Precipitating circumstance | Male |
Female |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | |
|
Mental health/Substance abuse
| |||
| Substance abuse problem (excludes alcohol) |
126 (26.1) |
4 (18.2) |
130 (25.7)
|
| Current diagnosed mental health problem |
99 (20.5) |
7 (31.8) |
106 (21.0)
|
| History of ever being treated for a mental health problem |
73 (15.1) |
5 (22.7) |
78 (15.4)
|
| Alcohol problem |
50 (10.4) |
2 (9.1) |
52 (10.3)
|
| Current mental health treatment |
36 (7.5) |
2 (9.1) |
38 (7.5)
|
| Current depressed mood |
29 (6.0) |
2 (9.1) |
31 (6.1)
|
| Other addiction (e.g., gambling, sex) |
3 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
3 (<1.0)
|
|
Interpersonal
| |||
| Perpetrator of interpersonal violence during past month |
46 (9.5) |
3 (13.6) |
49 (9.7)
|
| Intimate partner violence-related |
45 (9.3) |
0 (0.0) |
45 (8.9)
|
| Family relationship problem |
33 (6.8) |
2 (9.1) |
35 (6.9)
|
| Other relationship problem (nonintimate) |
15 (3.1) |
1 (4.5) |
16 (3.2)
|
| Jealousy (lovers’ triangle) |
3 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
3 (<1.0)
|
| Victim of interpersonal violence during past month |
1 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
1 (<1.0)
|
|
Life stressor
| |||
| Crisis during previous or upcoming 2 weeks |
73 (15.1) |
4 (18.2) |
77 (15.2)
|
| Argument or conflict |
67 (13.9) |
4 (18.2) |
71 (14.1)
|
| Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl) |
38 (7.9) |
1 (4.5) |
39 (7.7)
|
| History of child abuse/neglect |
2 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
2 (<1.0)
|
|
Crime and criminal activity
| |||
| Precipitated by another crime |
435 (90.1) |
18 (81.8) |
453 (89.7)
|
| Crime in progress** |
287 (66.0) |
11 (61.1) |
298 (65.8)
|
| Drug involvement |
28 (5.8) |
1 (4.5) |
29 (5.7)
|
| Gang-related |
4 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
4 (<1.0)
|
| Terrorist attack |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0)
|
|
Legal intervention event
| |||
| Victim used a weapon |
352 (72.9) |
16 (72.7) |
368 (72.9)
|
| Brawl |
3 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
3 (<1.0)
|
| Prostitution |
2 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
2 (<1.0)
|
| Victim was a bystander |
1 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
1 (<1.0)
|
| Victim was a police officer on duty |
1 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
1 (<1.0)
|
| Random violence |
1 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
1 (<1.0)
|
| Stalking |
1 (<1.0) |
0 (0.0) |
1 (<1.0)
|
| Victim was an intervener assisting a crime victim |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0)
|
| Mentally ill suspect |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0)
|
| Total†† | 483 (98.2) | 22 (95.7) | 505 (98.1) |
* Includes deaths 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.
† Denominator includes those deaths with one or more precipitating circumstances. The sum of percentages in columns exceed 100% because more than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
§ The term legal intervention does not denote the lawfulness or legality of the circumstances surrounding the death.
¶ 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.
** Denominator includes those decedents involved in an incident that was precipitated by another crime.
†† Circumstances were unknown for 10 decedents (nine males and one female); total no. of legal intervention deaths = 515 (492 males and 23 females).