Tuesday, March 28, 2023
| Characteristic | Male | Female | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | |
| Age group (yrs) | ||||||
| 10–14 | 280 (1.0) | 3.7 | 152 (2.0) | 2.1 | 432 (1.2) | 2.9 |
| 15–19 | 1,353 (5.0) | 17.5 | 394 (5.2) | 5.3 | 1,747 (5.0) | 11.5 |
| 20–24 | 2,311 (8.5) | 28.6 | 496 (6.5) | 6.4 | 2,807 (8.1) | 17.7 |
| 25–29 | 2,392 (8.8) | 27.6 | 572 (7.5) | 6.9 | 2,965 (8.5) | 17.4 |
| 30–34 | 2,224 (8.2) | 27.6 | 623 (8.2) | 7.9 | 2,848 (8.2) | 17.9 |
| 35–44 | 4,183 (15.4) | 28.4 | 1,259 (16.5) | 8.5 | 5,442 (15.7) | 18.4 |
| 45–54 | 4,480 (16.5) | 30.2 | 1,530 (20.1) | 10.0 | 6,010 (17.3) | 20.0 |
| 55–64 | 4,678 (17.3) | 31.4 | 1,504 (19.7) | 9.4 | 6,182 (17.8) | 20.0 |
| 65–74 | 2,766 (10.2) | 26.9 | 738 (9.7) | 6.3 | 3,504 (10.1) | 15.9 |
| 75–84 | 1,691 (6.2) | 35.3 | 243 (3.2) | 3.9 | 1,934 (5.6) | 17.5 |
| ≥85 | 737 (2.7) | 44.4 | 104 (1.4) | 3.4 | 841 (2.4) | 17.7 |
| Unknown | 13 (<1.0) | —†† | 1 (<1.0) | — | 14 (<1.0) | — |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 21,960 (81.0) | 32.7 | 6,124 (80.4) | 8.8 | 28,086 (80.9) | 20.5 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 1,925 (7.1) | 14.9 | 509 (6.7) | 3.5 | 2,434 (7.0) | 8.9 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 413 (1.5) | 45.6 | 124 (1.6) | 12.9 | 537 (1.5) | 28.8 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 749 (2.8) | 12.7 | 328 (4.3) | 5.0 | 1,077 (3.1) | 8.7 |
| Hispanic§§ | 1,979 (7.3) | 13.7 | 507 (6.7) | 3.6 | 2,486 (7.2) | 8.7 |
| Other race or ethnicity | 64 (<1.0) | — | 23 (<1.0) | — | 87 (<1.0) | — |
| Unknown | 18 (<1.0) | — | 1 (<1.0) | — | 19 (<1.0) | — |
| Method | ||||||
| Firearm | 14,493 (53.5) | 14.3 | 2,234 (29.3) | 2.1 | 16,727 (48.2) | 8.1 |
| Hanging, strangulation, or suffocation | 7,873 (29.0) | 7.8 | 2,360 (31.0) | 2.2 | 10,235 (29.5) | 4.9 |
| Poisoning | 2,078 (7.7) | 2.1 | 2,230 (29.3) | 2.1 | 4,308 (12.4) | 2.1 |
| Fall | 639 (2.4) | 0.6 | 236 (3.1) | 0.2 | 875 (2.5) | 0.4 |
| Sharp instrument | 548 (2.0) | 0.5 | 124 (1.6) | 0.1 | 672 (1.9) | 0.3 |
| Motor vehicle (e.g., bus, motorcycle, or other transport vehicle) | 445 (1.6) | 0.4 | 119 (1.6) | 0.1 | 564 (1.6) | 0.3 |
| Drowning | 206 (<1.0) | 0.2 | 121 (1.6) | 0.1 | 327 (<1.0) | 0.2 |
| Fire or burns | 106 (<1.0) | 0.1 | 40 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 146 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Blunt instrument | 34 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 11 (<1.0) | — | 45 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Other (e.g., Taser, electrocution, nail gun, intentional neglect, or personal weapon) | 39 (<1.0) | — | 14 (<1.0) | — | 53 (<1.0) | — |
| Unknown | 647 (2.4) | — | 127 (1.7) | — | 774 (2.2) | — |
| Location | ||||||
| House or apartment | 18,958 (69.9) | 18.7 | 5,962 (78.3) | 5.6 | 24,921 (71.8) | 12.0 |
| Motor vehicle | 1,474 (5.4) | 1.5 | 309 (4.1) | 0.3 | 1,784 (5.1) | 0.9 |
| Natural area | 1,376 (5.1) | 1.4 | 262 (3.4) | 0.3 | 1,638 (4.7) | 0.8 |
| Hotel or motel | 562 (2.1) | 0.6 | 225 (3.0) | 0.2 | 787 (2.3) | 0.4 |
| Street or highway | 674 (2.5) | 0.7 | 105 (1.4) | 0.1 | 779 (2.2) | 0.4 |
| Park, playground, or sports or athletic area | 468 (1.7) | 0.5 | 62 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 530 (1.5) | 0.3 |
| Parking lot, public garage, or public transport | 431 (1.6) | 0.4 | 75 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 506 (1.5) | 0.2 |
| Jail or prison | 432 (1.6) | 0.4 | 47 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 479 (1.4) | 0.2 |
| Bridge | 229 (<1.0) | 0.2 | 69 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 298 (<1.0) | 0.1 |
| Railroad track | 179 (<1.0) | 0.2 | 60 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 239 (<1.0) | 0.1 |
| Commercial or retail area | 196 (<1.0) | 0.2 | 27 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 223 (<1.0) | 0.1 |
| Supervised residential facility | 109 (<1.0) | 0.1 | 38 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 147 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Hospital or medical facility | 100 (<1.0) | 0.1 | 27 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 127 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Cemetery, graveyard, or other burial ground | 84 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 13 (<1.0) | — | 97 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Industrial or construction area | 87 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 8 (<1.0) | — | 95 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Preschool, school, college, or school bus | 79 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 16 (<1.0) | — | 95 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Farm | 89 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 6 (<1.0) | — | 95 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Other location¶¶ | 474 (1.7) | — | 67 (<1.0) | — | 541 (1.6) | — |
| Unknown | 1,107 (4.1) | — | 238 (3.1) | — | 1,345 (3.9) | — |
| Total | 27,108 (100.0) | 26.8 | 7,616 (100.0) | 7.2 | 34,726 (100.0) | 16.8 |
Table 1. Number, percentage,* and rate† of suicides among persons aged ≥10 years,§ by selected demographic characteristics of decedent,¶ method used, and location in which injury occurred — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018**
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding.
† Per 100,000 population.
§ Suicide is not reported for decedents aged <10 years, as per standard in the suicide prevention literature. Denominators for suicide rates represent the total population aged ≥10 years.
¶ Sex was unknown for two decedents.
** Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humstrongt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
†† Rate is not reported when the number of decedents is <20 or when the characteristic response is “other” or “unknown.”
§§ Includes persons of any race.
¶¶ Other location includes (in descending order) office building; abandoned house, building, or warehouse; synagogue, church, or temple; bar or nightclub; and other unspecified location.
| Toxicology variable | Tested | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | |
| Blood alcohol concentration¶ | 18,179 (52.3) | 7,240 (39.8) |
| Alcohol <0.08 g/dL | 2,003 (27.7) | |
| Alcohol ≥0.08 g/dL | 4,636 (64.0) | |
| Alcohol positive — level unknown | 601 (8.3) | |
| Amphetamines | 14,328 (41.3) | 1,996 (13.9) |
| Anticonvulsants | 7,668 (22.1) | 1,180 (15.4) |
| Antidepressants | 9,793 (28.2) | 3,516 (35.9) |
| Antipsychotics | 7,516 (21.6) | 842 (11.2) |
| Barbiturates | 12,248 (35.3) | 260 (2.1) |
| Benzodiazepines | 14,288 (41.1) | 3,513 (24.6) |
| Carbon monoxide | 2,041 (5.9) | 684 (33.5) |
| Cocaine | 14,510 (41.8) | 1,039 (7.2) |
| Marijuana | 12,297 (35.4) | 2,896 (23.6) |
| Muscle relaxant | 7,853 (22.6) | 490 (6.2) |
| Opioids | 15,210 (43.8) | 3,449 (22.7) |
| Other drugs or substances** | 7,583 (21.8) | 6,571 (86.7) |
Table 2. Number* and percentage of suicide decedents tested for alcohol and drugs whose results were positive,† by toxicology variable — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018§
* Number of suicide decedents = 34,726.
† Percentage is of decedents tested for toxicology. Denominator for the percentage positive is the percentage tested.
§ Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
¶ Blood alcohol concentration of ≥0.08 g/dL is greater than the legal limit in all states and the District of Columbia and is used as the standard for intoxication.
** Other drugs or substances indicated whether any results were positive; levels for these drugs or substances are not measured.
| Precipitating circumstance | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | |
| Mental health or substance use | |||
| Current diagnosed mental health problem** | 10,736 (45.3) | 4,495 (64.7) | 15,233 (49.7) |
| Depression or dysthymia | 7,972 (74.3) | 3,457 (76.9) | 11,431 (75.0) |
| Anxiety disorder | 1,905 (17.7) | 1,126 (25.1) | 3,032 (19.9) |
| Bipolar disorder | 1,388 (12.9) | 877 (19.5) | 2,265 (14.9) |
| Schizophrenia | 690 (6.4) | 219 (4.9) | 909 (6.0) |
| PTSD | 611 (5.7) | 187 (4.2) | 798 (5.2) |
| ADD/ADHD | 379 (3.5) | 68 (1.5) | 447 (2.9) |
| OCD | 70 (<1.0) | 21 (<1.0) | 91 (<1.0) |
| Eating disorder | 9 (<1.0) | 29 (<1.0) | 38 (<1.0) |
| Other | 690 (6.4) | 222 (4.9) | 912 (6.0) |
| Unknown | 815 (7.6) | 356 (7.9) | 1,171 (7.7) |
| History of ever being treated for a mental health problem | 7,608 (32.1) | 3,461 (49.8) | 11,070 (36.1) |
| Current depressed mood | 8,127 (34.3) | 2,384 (34.3) | 10,511 (34.3) |
| Current mental health treatment | 5,311 (22.4) | 2,679 (38.6) | 7,991 (26.1) |
| Alcohol problem | 4,690 (19.8) | 1,099 (15.8) | 5,789 (18.9) |
| Substance use problem (excludes alcohol) | 4,034 (17.0) | 1,249 (18.0) | 5,283 (17.2) |
| Other addiction (e.g., gambling or sexual) | 158 (<1.0) | 42 (<1.0) | 200 (<1.0) |
| Interpersonal | |||
| Intimate partner problem | 6,621 (27.9) | 1,655 (23.8) | 8,277 (27.0) |
| Family relationship problem | 2,027 (8.5) | 793 (11.4) | 2,820 (9.2) |
| Other death of family member or friend | 1,523 (6.4) | 543 (7.8) | 2,066 (6.7) |
| Suicide of family member or friend | 582 (2.5) | 236 (3.4) | 818 (2.7) |
| Perpetrator of interpersonal violence during past month | 648 (2.7) | 59 (<1.0) | 707 (2.3) |
| Other relationship problem (nonintimate) | 499 (2.1) | 132 (1.9) | 631 (2.1) |
| Victim of interpersonal violence during past month | 61 (<1.0) | 77 (1.1) | 138 (<1.0) |
| Life stressor | |||
| Crisis during previous or upcoming 2 weeks | 7,583 (32.0) | 1,835 (26.4) | 9,419 (30.7) |
| Physical health problem | 5,121 (21.6) | 1,397 (20.1) | 6,518 (21.3) |
| Argument or conflict | 3,753 (15.8) | 1,123 (16.2) | 4,876 (15.9) |
| Job problem | 2,447 (10.3) | 417 (6.0) | 2,864 (9.3) |
| Financial problem | 2,187 (9.2) | 505 (7.3) | 2,693 (8.8) |
| Recent criminal legal problem | 2,176 (9.2) | 233 (3.4) | 2,409 (7.9) |
| Eviction or loss of home | 864 (3.6) | 262 (3.8) | 1,127 (3.7) |
| Non-criminal legal problem | 874 (3.7) | 238 (3.4) | 1,112 (3.6) |
| School problem | 375 (1.6) | 123 (1.8) | 498 (1.6) |
| History of child abuse or neglect | 223 (<1.0) | 141 (2.0) | 364 (1.2) |
| Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl) | 250 (1.1) | 42 (<1.0) | 292 (<1.0) |
| Traumatic anniversary | 151 (<1.0) | 67 (<1.0) | 218 (<1.0) |
| Exposure to disaster | 58 (<1.0) | 4 (<1.0) | 62 (<1.0) |
| Caretaker abuse or neglect led to suicide | 15 (<1.0) | 15 (<1.0) | 30 (<1.0) |
| Crime and criminal activity | |||
| Precipitated by another crime | 1,030 (4.3) | 92 (1.3) | 1,122 (3.7) |
| Crime in progress†† | 348 (33.8) | 27 (29.3) | 375 (33.4) |
| Suicide event | |||
| History of suicidal thoughts or plans | 8,042 (33.9) | 2,692 (38.8) | 10,735 (35.0) |
| Left a suicide note | 7,471 (31.5) | 2,765 (39.8) | 10,238 (33.4) |
| History of suicide attempt(s) | 3,895 (16.4) | 2,321 (33.4) | 6,217 (20.3) |
| Suicide disclosure | |||
| Disclosed suicidal intent§§ | 5,759 (24.3) | 1,635 (23.5) | 7,395 (24.1) |
| To previous or current intimate partner | 2,246 (39.0) | 544 (33.3) | 2,790 (37.7) |
| To other family member | 1,702 (29.5) | 528 (32.3) | 2,230 (30.1) |
| To friend or colleague | 687 (11.9) | 218 (13.3) | 905 (12.2) |
| To health care worker | 238 (4.1) | 88 (5.4) | 327 (4.4) |
| To neighbor | 65 (1.1) | 24 (1.5) | 89 (1.2) |
| To other person | 492 (8.5) | 118 (7.2) | 610 (8.2) |
| Unknown | 332 (5.8) | 115 (7.0) | 447 (6.0) |
| Total¶¶ | 23,723 (87.5) | 6,943 (91.2) | 30,668 (88.3) |
Table 3. Number* and percentage† of suicides among persons aged ≥10 years,§ by decedent’s sex and precipitating circumstance — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018¶
Abbreviations: ADD/ADHD = attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; OCD = obsessive-compulsive disorder; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder.
* Includes suicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. More than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
† Denominator includes those suicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. The sums of percentages in columns exceed 100% because more than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
§ Suicide is not reported for decedents aged <10 years, as per standard in the suicide prevention literature.
¶ Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
** Includes decedents with one or more diagnosed current mental health problems; therefore, sums of percentages for the diagnosed conditions exceed 100%. Denominator includes the number of decedents with one or more current diagnosed mental health problems.
†† Denominator includes those decedents involved in an incident that was precipitated by another crime.
§§ Denominator includes decedents who disclosed intent.
¶¶ Circumstances were unknown for 4,058 decedents (3,385 males and 673 females); total number of suicide decedents = 34,726 (27,108 males, 7,616 females, and two unknown).
| Characteristic | Male | Female | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | |
| Age group (yrs) | ||||||
| <1 | 115 (1.1) | 8.2 | 84 (3.0) | 6.3 | 199 (1.5) | 7.3 |
| 1–4 | 149 (1.4) | 2.6 | 105 (3.7) | 1.9 | 254 (1.9) | 2.2 |
| 5–9 | 44 (<1.0) | 0.6 | 32 (1.1) | 0.5 | 76 (<1.0) | 0.5 |
| 10–14 | 56 (<1.0) | 0.7 | 43 (1.5) | 0.6 | 99 (<1.0) | 0.7 |
| 15–19 | 1,022 (9.6) | 13.2 | 182 (6.4) | 2.5 | 1,204 (9.0) | 8.0 |
| 20–24 | 1,764 (16.6) | 21.8 | 317 (11.2) | 4.1 | 2,081 (15.5) | 13.2 |
| 25–29 | 1,840 (17.3) | 21.3 | 326 (11.5) | 3.9 | 2,166 (16.1) | 12.7 |
| 30–34 | 1,344 (12.7) | 16.7 | 276 (9.7) | 3.5 | 1,620 (12.1) | 10.2 |
| 35–44 | 1,925 (18.1) | 13.1 | 470 (16.6) | 3.2 | 2,395 (17.8) | 8.1 |
| 45–54 | 1,124 (10.6) | 7.6 | 365 (12.9) | 2.4 | 1,489 (11.1) | 4.9 |
| 55–64 | 739 (7.0) | 5.0 | 277 (9.8) | 1.7 | 1,016 (7.6) | 3.3 |
| 65–74 | 328 (3.1) | 3.2 | 194 (6.9) | 1.7 | 522 (3.9) | 2.4 |
| 75–84 | 112 (1.1) | 2.3 | 106 (3.7) | 1.7 | 218 (1.6) | 2.0 |
| ≥85 | 45 (<1.0) | 2.7 | 54 (1.9) | 1.8 | 99 (<1.0) | 2.1 |
| Unknown | 3 (<1.0) | —** | 0 (0) | — | 3 (<1.0) | — |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 2,489 (23.5) | 3.3 | 1,317 (46.5) | 1.7 | 3,806 (28.3) | 2.5 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 6,218 (58.6) | 40.9 | 1,045 (36.9) | 6.3 | 7,263 (54.0) | 22.8 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 194 (1.8) | 18.2 | 59 (2.1) | 5.3 | 253 (1.9) | 11.6 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 158 (1.5) | 2.4 | 73 (2.6) | 1.0 | 231 (1.7) | 1.6 |
| Hispanic†† | 1,512 (14.3) | 8.6 | 329 (11.6) | 1.9 | 1,841 (13.7) | 5.3 |
| Other race or ethnicity | 34 (<1.0) | — | 6 (<1.0) | — | 40 (<1.0) | — |
| Unknown | 5 (<1.0) | — | 2 (<1.0) | — | 7 (<1.0) | — |
| Method | ||||||
| Firearm | 8,035 (75.7) | 6.9 | 1,569 (55.4) | 1.3 | 9,604 (71.5) | 4.1 |
| Sharp instrument | 983 (9.3) | 0.9 | 438 (15.5) | 0.4 | 1,421 (10.6) | 0.6 |
| Blunt instrument | 373 (3.5) | 0.3 | 197 (7.0) | 0.2 | 570 (4.2) | 0.2 |
| Personal weapons (e.g., hands, feet, or fists) | 366 (3.4) | 0.3 | 139 (4.9) | 0.1 | 505 (3.8) | 0.2 |
| Hanging, strangulation, or suffocation | 120 (1.1) | 0.1 | 188 (6.6) | 0.2 | 308 (2.3) | 0.1 |
| Motor vehicle (e.g., bus, motorcycle, or other transport vehicle) | 89 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 36 (1.3) | <0.1 | 125 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Fire or burns | 35 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 36 (1.3) | <0.1 | 71 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Poisoning | 42 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 23 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 65 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Intentional neglect | 25 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 26 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 51 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Fall | 30 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 8 (<1.0) | — | 38 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Shaking (e.g., shaken baby syndrome) | 17 (<1.0) | — | 12 (<1.0) | — | 29 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Drowning | 7 (<1.0) | — | 8 (<1.0) | — | 15 (<1.0) | — |
| Other (e.g., Taser, electrocution, or nail gun) | 16 (<1.0) | — | 10 (<1.0) | — | 26 (<1.0) | — |
| Unknown | 472 (4.4) | — | 141 (5.0) | — | 613 (4.6) | — |
| Location | ||||||
| House or apartment | 4,177 (39.4) | 3.6 | 1,837 (64.9) | 1.5 | 6,014 (44.7) | 2.6 |
| Street or highway | 2,606 (24.6) | 2.3 | 238 (8.4) | 0.2 | 2,844 (21.2) | 1.2 |
| Motor vehicle | 1,092 (10.3) | 0.9 | 216 (7.6) | 0.2 | 1,308 (9.7) | 0.6 |
| Parking lot, public garage, or public transport | 493 (4.6) | 0.4 | 42 (1.5) | <0.1 | 535 (4.0) | 0.2 |
| Commercial or retail area | 413 (3.9) | 0.4 | 57 (2.0) | <0.1 | 470 (3.5) | 0.2 |
| Natural area | 181 (1.7) | 0.2 | 56 (2.0) | <0.1 | 237 (1.8) | 0.1 |
| Park, playground, or sports or athletic area | 154 (1.5) | 0.1 | 26 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 180 (1.3) | <0.1 |
| Bar or nightclub | 156 (1.5) | 0.1 | 5 (<1.0) | — | 161 (1.2) | <0.1 |
| Hotel or motel | 85 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 47 (1.7) | <0.1 | 132 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Jail or prison | 89 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 0 (0) | — | 89 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Abandoned house, building, or warehouse | 63 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 16 (<1.0) | — | 79 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Supervised residential facility | 26 (<1.0) | <0.1 | 19 (<1.0) | — | 45 (<1.0) | <0.1 |
| Other location§§ | 219 (2.1) | — | 58 (2.0) | — | 277 (2.1) | — |
| Unknown | 856 (8.1) | — | 214 (7.6) | — | 1,070 (8.0) | — |
| Relationship of victim to suspect¶¶ | ||||||
| Acquaintance or friend | 1,220 (31.6) | 1.1 | 217 (11.7) | 0.2 | 1,437 (25.1) | 0.6 |
| Spouse or intimate partner (current or former) | 321 (8.3) | 0.3 | 942 (50.6) | 0.8 | 1,263 (22.1) | 0.5 |
| Other person, known to victim | 791 (20.5) | 0.7 | 139 (7.5) | 0.1 | 930 (16.2) | 0.4 |
| Stranger | 646 (16.7) | 0.6 | 108 (5.8) | <0.1 | 754 (13.2) | 0.3 |
| Other relative | 291 (7.5) | 0.3 | 148 (7.9) | 0.1 | 439 (7.7) | 0.2 |
| Child*** | 222 (5.7) | 0.2 | 150 (8.1) | 0.1 | 372 (6.5) | 0.2 |
| Parent*** | 173 (4.5) | 0.2 | 117 (6.3) | 0.1 | 290 (5.1) | 0.1 |
| Child of suspect's boyfriend or girlfriend (e.g., child killed by mother's boyfriend) | 61 (1.6) | <0.1 | 32 (1.7) | <0.1 | 93 (1.6) | <0.1 |
| Rival gang member | 71 (1.8) | <0.1 | 6 (<1.0) | — | 77 (1.3) | <0.1 |
| Other relationship+++ | 67 (1.7) | — | 3 (<1.0) | — | 70 (1.2) | — |
| Total | 10,610 (100.0) | 9.2 | 2,831 (100.0) | 2.4 | 13,441 (100.0) | 5.7 |
Table 4. Number, percentage,* and rate† of homicides, by selected demographic characteristics of decedent, method used, location in which injury occurred, and victim-suspect relationship§ — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018¶
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding.
† Per 100,000 population.
§ The following statement can be used as a general guide for interpreting the victim-suspect relationship: “The victim is the [insert relationship] of the suspect.” For example, when a parent kills a child, the relationship is “child,” not “parent” (The victim is the child of the suspect.). Some relationships might not be captured by this sentence (e.g., if the other person is known to the victim or if the victim was a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty).
¶ Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
** Rates are not reported when the number of decedents is <20 or when the characteristic response is “other” or “unknown.”
†† Includes persons of any race.
§§ Other location includes (in descending order) office building; preschool, school, college, or school bus; synagogue, church, or temple; industrial or construction area; hospital or medical facility; farm; railroad tracks; cemetery, graveyard, or other burial ground; bridge; and other unspecified location.
¶¶ Percentage is based on the number of homicide decedents with a known victim-suspect relationship (n = 5,725 [42.6%]; 3,863 [36.4%] males and 1,862 [65.8%] females); victim-to-suspect relationship was unknown for 7,716 decedents.
*** Includes adoptive family members (e.g., adopted child), stepfamily members (e.g., stepparent), and foster family members (e.g., foster child).
††† Other relationship includes (in descending order) the victim was a law enforcement officer injured in the line of duty, and victim was an intimate partner of suspect's parent (e.g., teenager kills mother’s boyfriend).
| Precipitating circumstance | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | |
| Mental health or substance use | |||
| Substance use problem (excludes alcohol) | 998 (12.7) | 288 (12.3) | 1,286 (12.6) |
| Current diagnosed mental health problem | 345 (4.4) | 182 (7.7) | 527 (5.2) |
| Alcohol problem | 311 (4.0) | 86 (3.7) | 397 (3.9) |
| History of ever being treated for a mental health problem | 219 (2.8) | 119 (5.1) | 338 (3.3) |
| Current mental health treatment | 115 (1.5) | 70 (3.0) | 185 (1.8) |
| Current depressed mood | 35 (<1.0) | 26 (1.1) | 61 (<1.0) |
| Other addiction (e.g., gambling or sex) | 12 (<1.0) | 4 (<1.0) | 16 (<1.0) |
| Interpersonal | |||
| Intimate partner violence related | 674 (8.6) | 1,048 (44.6) | 1,722 (16.9) |
| Family relationship problem | 409 (5.2) | 238 (10.1) | 647 (6.3) |
| Other relationship problem (nonintimate) | 482 (6.1) | 107 (4.6) | 589 (5.8) |
| Jealousy (lovers’ triangle) | 202 (2.6) | 108 (4.6) | 310 (3.0) |
| Victim of interpersonal violence during past month | 97 (1.2) | 126 (5.4) | 223 (2.2) |
| Perpetrator of interpersonal violence during past month | 142 (1.8) | 12 (<1.0) | 154 (1.5) |
| Life stressor | |||
| Argument or conflict | 2,752 (35.0) | 693 (29.5) | 3,445 (33.7) |
| Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl) | 1,387 (17.6) | 212 (9.0) | 1,599 (15.7) |
| Crisis during previous or upcoming 2 weeks | 433 (5.5) | 222 (9.4) | 655 (6.4) |
| History of child abuse or neglect | 65 (<1.0) | 41 (1.7) | 106 (1.0) |
| Crime and criminal activity | |||
| Precipitated by another crime | 2,195 (27.9) | 477 (20.3) | 2,672 (26.2) |
| Crime in progress¶ | 1,326 (60.4) | 276 (57.9) | 1,602 (60.0) |
| Drug involvement | 1,122 (14.3) | 129 (5.5) | 1,251 (12.3) |
| Gang-related | 990 (12.6) | 95 (4.0) | 1,085 (10.6) |
| Homicide circumstance | |||
| Drive-by shooting | 791 (10.1) | 98 (4.2) | 889 (8.7) |
| Walk-by assault | 600 (7.6) | 66 (2.8) | 666 (6.5) |
| Victim used a weapon | 612 (7.8) | 29 (1.2) | 641 (6.3) |
| Caretaker abuse or neglect led to death | 261 (3.3) | 198 (8.4) | 459 (4.5) |
| Mentally ill suspect** | 163 (2.1) | 156 (6.6) | 319 (3.1) |
| Justifiable self defense | 283 (3.6) | 7 (<1.0) | 290 (2.8) |
| Random violence | 169 (2.1) | 63 (2.7) | 232 (2.3) |
| Victim was a bystander | 134 (1.7) | 88 (3.7) | 222 (2.2) |
| Brawl | 191 (2.4) | 10 (<1.0) | 201 (2.0) |
| Victim was an intervener assisting a crime victim | 100 (1.3) | 21 (<1.0) | 121 (1.2) |
| Prostitution | 29 (<1.0) | 28 (1.2) | 57 (<1.0) |
| Stalking | 20 (<1.0) | 34 (1.4) | 54 (<1.0) |
| Victim was a police officer on duty | 39 (<1.0) | 4 (<1.0) | 43 (<1.0) |
| Mercy killing | 5 (<1.0) | 16 (<1.0) | 21 (<1.0) |
| Hate crime | 14 (<1.0) | 7 (<1.0) | 21 (<1.0) |
| Total†† | 7,861 (74.1) | 2,350 (83.0) | 10,211 (76.0) |
Table 5. Number* and percentage† of homicides, by decedent’s sex and precipitating circumstance — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the district of Columbia, 2018§
* 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.
† Denominator includes those homicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. The sums of percentages in columns exceed 100% because more than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
§ Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
¶ Denominator includes those decedents involved in an incident that was precipitated by another crime.
** Mentally ill suspect is endorsed for deaths in which the suspect’s attack on decedent was believed to be the direct result of a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic condition, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder).
†† Circumstances were unknown for 3,230 decedents (2,749 males and 481 females); total number of homicide decedents = 13,441 (10,610 males and 2,831 females).
| Characteristic | Suspect age group (yrs) | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <18 | 18–24 | 25–44 | 45–64 | ≥65 | ||
| No. (%)§ | No. (%)§ | No. (%)§ | No. (%)§ | No. (%)§ | No. (%)§ | |
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 426 (91.0) | 1,880 (88.8) | 3,020 (86.5) | 881 (85.0) | 197 (90.4) | 6,404 (87.4) |
| Female | 37 (7.9) | 226 (10.7) | 461 (13.2) | 154 (14.9) | 21 (9.6) | 899 (12.3) |
| Unknown | 5 (1.1) | 12 (<1.0) | 9 (<1.0) | 2 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 28 (<1.0) |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Black, non-Hispanic | 290 (62.0) | 1,303 (61.5) | 1,798 (51.5) | 373 (36.0) | 35 (16.1) | 3,799 (51.8) |
| White, non-Hispanic | 87 (18.6) | 407 (19.2) | 1,021 (29.3) | 518 (50.0) | 149 (68.3) | 2,182 (29.8) |
| Hispanic¶ | 37 (7.9) | 189 (8.9) | 322 (9.2) | 63 (6.1) | 9 (4.1) | 620 (8.5) |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 0 (0.) | 15 (<1.0) | 35 (1.0) | 18 (1.7) | 5 (2.3) | 73 (<1.0) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 4 (<1.0) | 12 (<1.0) | 48 (1.4) | 6 (<1.0) | 2 (<1.0) | 72 (<1.0) |
| Unknown | 50 (10.7) | 192 (9.1) | 266 (7.6) | 59 (5.7) | 18 (8.3) | 585 (8.0) |
| Relationship of victim to suspect** | ||||||
| Acquaintance or friend | 98 (31.2) | 447 (34.0) | 666 (27.0) | 192 (22.2) | 21 (10.4) | 1,424 (27.6) |
| Spouse or intimate partner (current or former) | 8 (2.5) | 124 (9.4) | 521 (21.2) | 333 (38.5) | 114 (56.4) | 1,100 (21.3) |
| Other person, known to victim | 46 (14.6) | 230 (17.5) | 401 (16.3) | 109 (12.6) | 15 (7.4) | 801 (15.5) |
| Stranger | 77 (24.5) | 232 (17.6) | 333 (13.5) | 65 (7.5) | 10 (5.0) | 717 (13.9) |
| Other relative†† | 35 (11.1) | 76 (5.8) | 161 (6.5) | 66 (7.6) | 17 (8.4) | 355 (6.9) |
| Child§§ | 10 (3.2) | 82 (6.2) | 167 (6.8) | 45 (5.2) | 11 (5.4) | 315 (6.1) |
| Parent§§ | 24 (7.6) | 48 (3.6) | 107 (4.3) | 48 (5.6) | 8 (4.0) | 235 (4.6) |
| Child of suspect's boyfriend or girlfriend (e.g., child killed by mother's boyfriend) | 1 (<1.0) | 24 (1.8) | 56 (2.3) | 4 (<1.0) | 2 (<1.0) | 87 (1.7) |
| Rival gang member | 8 (2.5) | 31 (2.4) | 26 (1.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 65 (1.3) |
| Intimate partner of suspect's parent (e.g., teenager kills mother’s boyfriend) | 7 (2.2) | 13 (<1.0) | 9 (<1.0) | 1 (<1.0) | 1 (<1.0) | 31 (<1.0) |
| Victim was a law enforcement officer on duty | 0 (0) | 9 (<1.0) | 16 (<1.0) | 1 (<1.0) | 3 (1.5) | 29 (<1.0) |
| Mental health or substance use¶¶ | ||||||
| Suspected other substance use by suspect | 27 (7.8) | 119 (7.5) | 297 (10.1) | 76 (7.8) | 4 (1.9) | 523 (8.6) |
| Suspected alcohol use by suspect | 14 (4.1) | 77 (4.9) | 239 (8.1) | 112 (11.5) | 11 (5.2) | 453 (7.5) |
| Mentally ill suspect*** | 9 (2.6) | 47 (3.0) | 144 (4.9) | 69 (7.1) | 21 (9.9) | 290 (4.8) |
| Suspect had a developmental disability | 1 (<1.0) | 3 (<1.0) | 5 (<1.0) | 4 (<1.0) | 1 (<1.0) | 14 (<1.0) |
| Other circumstance of suspect††† | ||||||
| Prior contact with law enforcement | 38 (11.0) | 174 (11.0) | 386 (13.1) | 99 (10.1) | 10 (4.7) | 707 (11.6) |
| Suspect attempted suicide after incident§§§ | 6 (1.7) | 30 (1.9) | 192 (6.5) | 171 (17.5) | 82 (38.5) | 481 (7.9) |
| Suspect recently released from an institution | 3 (<1.0) | 38 (2.4) | 69 (2.3) | 21 (2.1) | 4 (1.9) | 135 (2.2) |
| Homicide circumstance | ||||||
| Precipitated by another crime | 114 (38.9) | 463 (32.8) | 733 (27.5) | 202 (22.0) | 30 (14.9) | 1,542 (28.1) |
| Intimate partner violence related | 25 (8.5) | 171 (12.1) | 680 (25.5) | 388 (42.3) | 117 (58.2) | 1,381 (25.1) |
| Drug involvement | 58 (19.8) | 228 (16.1) | 340 (12.7) | 53 (5.8) | 4 (2.0) | 683 (12.4) |
| Victim used a weapon | 27 (9.2) | 122 (8.6) | 202 (7.6) | 57 (6.2) | 10 (5.0) | 418 (7.6) |
| Gang related | 29 (9.9) | 157 (11.1) | 193 (7.2) | 9 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 388 (7.1) |
| Drive by shooting | 20 (6.8) | 114 (8.1) | 126 (4.7) | 9 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 269 (4.9) |
| Jealousy (lovers’ triangle) | 5 (1.7) | 47 (3.3) | 139 (5.2) | 54 (5.9) | 4 (2.0) | 249 (4.5) |
| Brawl (mutual physical fight) | 10 (3.4) | 40 (2.8) | 58 (2.2) | 6 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 114 (2.1) |
| Random violence | 8 (2.7) | 33 (2.3) | 54 (2.0) | 11 (1.2) | 2 (<1.0) | 108 (2.0) |
| Victim was a bystander | 10 (3.4) | 38 (2.7) | 40 (1.5) | 6 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 94 (1.7) |
| Stalking | 0 (0) | 6 (<1.0) | 21 (<1.0) | 12 (1.3) | 3 (1.5) | 42 (<1.0) |
| Prostitution | 1 (<1.0) | 9 (<1.0) | 24 (<1.0) | 4 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 38 (<1.0) |
| Hate crime | 0 (0) | 3 (<1.0) | 2 (<1.0) | 2 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 7 (<1.0) |
| Total | 468 | 2,118 | 3,490 | 1,037 | 218 | 7,331 |
Table 6. Number and percentage* of homicides, by selected demographic characteristics of suspect, victim-suspect relationship, suspect’s mental health or substance use, and homicide circumstance — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018†
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding. There were 12,693 homicide incidents overall and 9,331 suspects from 8,051 incidents with suspect information. Of the total number of homicide incidents, 6,071 (47.8%) had known suspect age, resulting in 7,331 suspects (age was unknown for n = 2,600 (26.2%) of suspects). Some incidents had >1 suspect. Denominators for suspect characteristics and circumstances vary by the availability of known information and are specified in separate footnotes.
† Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
§Percentage is based on the total number of suspects within each age group (i.e., column totals at the bottom of the table).
¶ Includes persons of any race.
** Percentage is based on the number of homicide suspects with a known age and victim-suspect relationship (n = 5,159; aged <18 years = 314; aged 18–24 years = 1,316; aged 25–44 years = 2,463; aged 45–64 years = 864; aged ≥65 years = 202); victim-suspect relationship was unknown for 2,172 suspects. The victim-suspect relationship should be interpreted using the following statement: “The victim is the [insert relationship] of the suspect,” with the exception of the caregiver relationship.
†† Other relative includes other family member (e.g., cousin or uncle), sibling, grandparent, in-law, or grandchild.
§§ Includes adoptive family members (e.g., adopted child), stepfamily members (e.g., stepparent), and foster family members (e.g., foster child).
¶¶ Percentage is based on the number of homicide incidents (n = 6,071; aged <18 years = 344; aged 18–24 years = 1,586; aged 25–44 years = 2,951; aged 45–64 years = 977; and aged ≥65 years = 213) with the count representing the total number of suspects having that characteristic.
*** Mentally ill suspect is endorsed for deaths in which the suspect’s attack on decedent was believed to be the direct result of a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic condition, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder).
††† Percentage is based on the number of homicide incidents with known suspect age and decedent circumstances (n = 5,494; primary suspect: aged <18 years = 293; aged 18–24 years = 1,412; aged 25–44 years = 2,670; aged 45–64 years = 918; and aged ≥65 years = 201). The characteristic applies to one or more decedents in the incident.
§§§ Number and percentage of suspect suicide attempts that were fatal, based on the number who attempted suicide: n = 389 (80.9%); aged <18 years = 5 (83.3%); aged 18–24 years = 18 (60.0%); aged 25–44 years = 151 (78.6%); aged 45–64 years = 138 (80.7%); and aged ≥65 years = 77 (93.9%).
| Characteristic | Male | Female | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | No. (%) | Rate | |
| Age group (yrs) | ||||||
| <10 | 0 (0) | —** | 0 (0) | — | 0 (0) | — |
| 10–14 | 1 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 1 (<1.0) | — |
| 15–19 | 39 (5.4) | 0.5 | 1 (2.7) | — | 40 (5.2) | 0.3 |
| 20–24 | 84 (11.6) | 1.0 | 2 (5.4) | — | 86 (11.3) | 0.5 |
| 25–29 | 113 (15.5) | 1.3 | 5 (13.5) | — | 118 (15.4) | 0.7 |
| 30–34 | 118 (16.2) | 1.5 | 7 (18.9) | — | 125 (16.4) | 0.8 |
| 35–44 | 190 (26.1) | 1.3 | 10 (27.0) | — | 200 (26.2) | 0.7 |
| 45–54 | 96 (13.2) | 0.7 | 7 (18.9) | — | 103 (13.5) | 0.3 |
| 55–64 | 58 (8.0) | 0.4 | 3 (8.1) | — | 61 (8.0) | 0.2 |
| 65–74 | 22 (3.0) | 0.2 | 2 (5.4) | — | 24 (3.1) | 0.1 |
| 75–84 | 6 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 6 (<1.0) | — |
| ≥85 | 0 (0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 0 (0) | — |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 354 (48.7) | 0.5 | 21 (56.8) | <0.1 | 375 (49.1) | 0.3 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 190 (26.1) | 1.3 | 9 (24.3) | — | 199 (26.0) | 0.6 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 28 (3.9) | 2.6 | 1 (2.7) | — | 29 (3.8) | 1.3 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 13 (1.8) | — | 0 (0) | — | 13 (1.7) | — |
| Hispanic†† | 138 (19.0) | 0.8 | 6 (16.2) | — | 144 (18.8) | 0.4 |
| Other race or ethnicity | 4 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 4 (<1.0) | — |
| Method | ||||||
| Firearm | 659 (90.6) | 0.6 | 29 (78.4) | <0.1 | 688 (90.1) | 0.3 |
| Motor vehicles (e.g., buses, motorcycles, other transport vehicles) | 22 (3.0) | <0.1 | 6 (16.2) | — | 28 (3.7) | <0.1 |
| Personal weapons (e.g., hands, feet, or fists) | 8 (1.1) | — | 0 (0) | — | 8 (1.0) | — |
| Poisoning | 6 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 6 (<1.0) | — |
| Hanging, strangulation, or suffocation | 6 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 6 (<1.0) | — |
| Blunt instrument | 3 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 3 (<1.0) | — |
| Drowning | 2 (<1.0) | — | 0 (0) | — | 2 (<1.0) | — |
| Other (e.g., Taser, electrocution, or nail gun) | 12 (1.7) | — | 0 (0) | — | 12 (1.6) | — |
| Unknown | 9 (1.2) | — | 2 (5.4) | — | 11 (1.4) | — |
| Location of injury | ||||||
| House or apartment | 259 (35.6) | 0.2 | 13 (35.1) | — | 272 (35.6) | 0.1 |
| Street or highway | 188 (25.9) | 0.2 | 8 (21.6) | — | 196 (25.7) | <0.1 |
| Motor vehicle | 73 (10.0) | <0.1 | 8 (21.6) | — | 81 (10.6) | <0.1 |
| Parking lot, public garage, or public transport | 47 (6.5) | <0.1 | 3 (8.1) | — | 50 (6.5) | <0.1 |
| Commercial or retail area | 36 (5.0) | <0.1 | 1 (2.7) | — | 37 (4.8) | <0.1 |
| Natural area | 22 (3.0) | <0.1 | 0 (0) | — | 22 (2.9) | <0.1 |
| Hotel or motel | 16 (2.2) | — | 0 (0) | — | 16 (2.1) | — |
| Park, playground, or sports or athletic area | 10 (1.4) | — | 0 (0) | — | 10 (1.3) | — |
| Jail or prison | 10 (1.4) | — | 0 (0) | — | 10 (1.3) | — |
| Other location§§ | 44 (6.1) | — | 1 (2.7) | — | 45 (5.9) | — |
| Unknown | 22 (3.0) | — | 3 (8.1) | — | 25 (3.3) | — |
| Total | 727 (100.0) | 0.6 | 37 (100.0) | <0.1 | 764 (100.0) | 0.3 |
Table 7. Number, percentage,* and rate† of legal intervention§ deaths, by selected demographic characteristics of decedent, method used, and location in which injury occurred — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018¶
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding.
† Per 100,000 population.
§ The term legal intervention does not denote the lawfulness or legality of the circumstances surrounding the death.
¶ Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
** Rates are 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) office building; bar or nightclub; hospital or medical facility; farm; preschool, school, college, or school bus; abandoned house, building, or warehouse; synagogue, church, or temple; industrial or construction area; supervised residential facility; bridge; and other unspecified location.
| Precipitating circumstance | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | |
| Mental health or substance use | |||
| Substance use problem (excludes alcohol) | 194 (27.6) | 9 (28.1) | 203 (27.7) |
| Current diagnosed mental health problem | 133 (18.9) | 8 (25.0) | 141 (19.2) |
| History of ever being treated for a mental health problem | 81 (11.5) | 5 (15.6) | 86 (11.7) |
| Alcohol problem | 74 (10.5) | 2 (6.3) | 76 (10.4) |
| Current mental health treatment | 42 (6.0) | 3 (9.4) | 45 (6.1) |
| Current depressed mood | 36 (5.1) | 0 (0) | 36 (4.9) |
| Other addiction (e.g., gambling or sex) | 3 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 3 (<1.0) |
| Interpersonal | |||
| Intimate partner violence-related | 75 (10.7) | 1 (3.1) | 76 (10.4) |
| Perpetrator of interpersonal violence during past month | 63 (9.0) | 0 (0) | 63 (8.6) |
| Family relationship problem | 62 (8.8) | 0 (0) | 62 (8.4) |
| Other relationship problem (nonintimate) | 23 (3.3) | 0 (0) | 23 (3.1) |
| Jealousy (lovers’ triangle) | 7 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 7 (<1.0) |
| Victim of interpersonal violence during past month | 2 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 2 (<1.0) |
| Life stressor | |||
| Argument or conflict | 112 (16.0) | 4 (12.5) | 116 (15.8) |
| Crisis during previous or upcoming 2 weeks | 87 (12.4) | 1 (3.1) | 88 (12.0) |
| Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl) | 64 (9.1) | 1 (3.1) | 65 (8.9) |
| History of child abuse or neglect | 4 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 4 (<1.0) |
| Crime and criminal activity | |||
| Precipitated by another crime | 606 (86.3) | 27 (84.4) | 633 (86.2) |
| Crime in progress** | 438 (72.3) | 19 (70.4) | 457 (72.2) |
| Drug involvement | 37 (5.3) | 3 (9.4) | 40 (5.4) |
| Gang related | 12 (1.7) | 0 (0) | 12 (1.6) |
| Legal intervention | |||
| Victim used a weapon | 518 (73.8) | 21 (65.6) | 539 (73.4) |
| Brawl | 12 (1.7) | 0 (0) | 12 (1.6) |
| Victim was a bystander | 1 (<1.0) | 3 (9.4) | 4 (<1.0) |
| Random violence | 3 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 3 (<1.0) |
| Stalking | 3 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 3 (<1.0) |
| Victim was an intervener assisting a crime victim | 2 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 2 (<1.0) |
| Caretaker abuse or neglect led to death | 1 (<1.0) | 0 (0) | 1 (<1.0) |
| Prostitution | 0 (0) | 1 (3.1) | 1 (<1.0) |
| Total†† | 702 (96.6) | 32 (86.5) | 734 (96.1) |
Table 8. Number* and percentage† of legal intervention§ deaths, by decedent’s sex and precipitating circumstance — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018¶
* 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 sums 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.
¶ Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
** Denominator includes those decedents involved in an incident that was precipitated by another crime.
†† Circumstances were unknown for 30 decedents (25 males and five females); total number of legal intervention deaths = 764 (727 males and 37 females).
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Age group (yrs) | |
| 18–24 | 6 (1.1) |
| 25–44 | 145 (26.5) |
| 45–64 | 34 (6.2) |
| ≥65 | 0 (0) |
| Unknown | 362 (66.2) |
| Race/Ethnicity | |
| White, non-Hispanic | 207 (37.8) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 16 (2.9) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 0 (0) |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 0 (0) |
| Hispanic§ | 17 (3.1) |
| Unknown | 307 (56.1) |
| Total | 547 (100.0) |
Table 9. Number and percentage* of law enforcement officers involved in legal intervention deaths, by age group and race and ethnicity — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018†
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding. There were 757 legal intervention incidents. Percentage is based on the number of law enforcement officers (n = 547; male, n= 527; female, n = 13; sex unknown, n = 7) from legal intervention incidents with any information about the officer involved (n = 383; 50.6%). Of officers with known sex, 96.3% were male. Some incidents had more than one suspect.
† Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
§ Includes persons of any race.
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Sex | |
| Male | 297 (88.1) |
| Female | 40 (11.9) |
| Race/Ethnicity | |
| White, non-Hispanic | 192 (57.0) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 109 (32.3) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 7 (2.1) |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 3 (<1.0) |
| Hispanic§ | 26 (7.7) |
| Age group (yrs) | |
| <1 | 0 (0) |
| 1–4 | 24 (7.1) |
| 5–9 | 16 (4.7) |
| 10–14 | 27 (8.0) |
| 15–19 | 68 (20.2) |
| 20–24 | 49 (14.5) |
| 25–29 | 24 (7.1) |
| 30–34 | 22 (6.5) |
| 35–44 | 22 (6.5) |
| 45–54 | 21 (6.2) |
| 55–64 | 29 (8.6) |
| 65–74 | 21 (6.2) |
| 75–84 | 12 (3.6) |
| ≥85 | 2 (<1.0) |
| Location | |
| House or apartment | 256 (76.0) |
| Natural area | 23 (6.8) |
| Motor vehicle | 17 (5.0) |
| Street or highway | 7 (2.1) |
| Hotel or motel | 6 (1.8) |
| Commercial or retail area | 3 (<1.0) |
| Parking lot, public garage, or public transport | 3 (<1.0) |
| Other location¶ | 11 (3.3) |
| Unknown | 11 (3.3) |
| Firearm type | |
| Handgun | 208 (61.7) |
| Rifle | 44 (13.1) |
| Shotgun | 30 (8.9) |
| Other firearm | 1 (<1.0) |
| Unknown | 54 (16.0) |
| Total | 337 (100.0) |
Table 10. Number and percentage* of unintentional firearm deaths, by selected demographic characteristic of decedent, location of injury, and type of firearm — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018†
* Percentages might not total 100% due to rounding.
† Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
§ Includes persons of any race.
¶ Other location includes (in descending order) bar or nightclub; office building; park, playground, or sports or athletic area; farm; and other unspecified location.
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Context of injury | |
| Playing with gun | 124 (41.6) |
| Showing gun to others | 46 (15.4) |
| Cleaning gun | 26 (8.7) |
| Hunting | 21 (7.0) |
| Loading or unloading gun | 13 (4.4) |
| Target shooting | 8 (2.7) |
| Celebratory firing | 1 (<1.0) |
| Other context of injury | 72 (24.2) |
| Circumstance of injury | |
| Unintentionally pulled trigger | 66 (22.1) |
| Thought gun was unloaded | 35 (11.7) |
| Thought unloaded, magazine disengaged | 20 (6.7) |
| Gun was dropped | 18 (6.0) |
| Gun was mistaken for a toy | 9 (3.0) |
| Thought gun safety was engaged | 8 (2.7) |
| Gun fired due to defect or malfunction | 6 (2.0) |
| Bullet ricocheted | 3 (1.0) |
| Gun fired while handling safety lock | 2 (<1.0) |
| Other mechanism of injury | 52 (17.4) |
| Total§ | 298 (88.4) |
Table 11. Number and percentage* of unintentional firearm deaths, by context and circumstance of injury — National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2018†
* Percentages might exceed 100% because one or more circumstances could have been known per death. Number and percentage are reported when the number of deaths is fewer than five because no particular circumstance identifies a single death. Denominator includes those deaths with one or more precipitating circumstances.
† Data for all violent deaths were collected in 36 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), and the District of Columbia. Three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) collected data from a subset of counties in their state. Data for violent deaths that occurred in Illinois include 28 counties that represent 86% of the state’s population (Adams, Boone, Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Effingham, Fulton, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, Lasalle, Livingston, Logan, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Madison, Peoria, Perry, Rock Island, St. Clair, Sangamon, Tazewell, Vermillion, Will, and Winnebago). Data for violent deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania include 39 counties that represent 82.2% of the state’s population (Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York). Data for violent deaths that occurred in California include 21 counties that represent 54% of the state’s population (Amador, Butte, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mono, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Ventura, and Yolo). Denominators for the rates for these three states (California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania) represent only the populations of the counties from which the data were collected.
§ Circumstances were unknown for 39 decedents; total number of unintentional firearm decedents = 337.
| Manner of death | Death ≤1 year after injury | Death >1 year after injury | Death any time after injury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intentional self-harm (suicide) | X60–X84 | Y87.0 | U03 (attributable to terrorism) |
| Assault (homicide) | X85–X99, Y00–Y09 | Y87.1 | U01, U02 (attributable to terrorism) |
| Event of undetermined intent | Y10–Y34 | Y87.2, Y89.9 | Not applicable |
| Unintentional exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (firearms) | W32–W34 | Y86 | Not applicable |
| Legal intervention (excluding executions, Y35.5) | Y35.0–Y35.4, Y35.6, Y35.7 | Y89.0 | Not applicable |
Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used in the National Violent Death Reporting System
|
• Firearm: method that uses a powder charge to fire a projectile from the weapon (excludes BB gun, pellet gun, and compressed air or gas-powered gun) • Hanging, strangulation, or suffocation (e.g., hanging by the neck, manual strangulation, or plastic bag over the head) • Poisoning (e.g., fatal ingestion of a street drug, pharmaceutical, carbon monoxide, gas, rat poison, or insecticide) • Sharp instrument (e.g., knife, razor, machete, or pointed instrument) • Blunt instrument (e.g., club, bat, rock, or brick) • Fall: being pushed or jumping • Motor vehicle (e.g., car, bus, motorcycle, or other transport vehicle) • Personal weapons (e.g., hands, fists, or feet) • Drowning: inhalation of liquid (e.g., in bathtub, lake, or other source of water or liquid) • Fire or burns: inhalation of smoke or the direct effects of fire or chemical burns • Intentional neglect: starvation, lack of adequate supervision, or withholding of health care • Other (single method): any method other than those already listed (e.g., electrocution, exposure to environment or weather, or explosives) • Unknown: method not reported or not known |
Box 2. Methods used to inflict injury — National Violent Death Reporting System, 2018
| Suicide/Undetermined Intent |
|---|
|
• Intimate partner problem: decedent was experiencing problems with a current or former intimate partner. • Suicide of family member or friend: decedent was distraught over, or reacting to, the recent suicide of a family member or friend. • Other death of family member or friend: decedent was distraught over, or reacting to, the recent nonsuicide death of a family member or friend. • Physical health problem: decedent was experiencing physical health problems (e.g., a recent cancer diagnosis or chronic pain). • Job problem: decedent was either experiencing a problem at work or was having a problem with joblessness. • Recent criminal legal problem: decedent was facing criminal legal problems (e.g., recent or impending arrest or upcoming criminal court date). • Noncriminal legal problem: decedent was facing civil legal problems (e.g., a child custody or civil lawsuit). • Financial problem: decedent was experiencing financial problems (e.g., bankruptcy, overwhelming debt, or foreclosure of a home or business). • Eviction or loss of home: decedent was experiencing a recent or impending eviction or other loss of housing, or the threat of eviction or loss of housing. • School problem: decedent was experiencing a problem related to school (e.g., poor grades, bullying, social exclusion at school, or performance pressures). • Traumatic anniversary: the incident occurred on or near the anniversary of a traumatic event in the decedent’s life. • Exposure to disaster: decedent was exposed to a disaster (e.g., earthquake or bombing). • Left a suicide note: decedent left a note, e-mail message, video, or other communication indicating intent to die by suicide. • Disclosed suicidal intent: decedent had recently expressed suicidal feelings to another person with time for that person to intervene. • Disclosed intent to whom: type of person (e.g., family member or current or former intimate partner) to whom the decedent recently disclosed suicidal thoughts or plans. • History of suicidal thoughts or plans: decedent had previously expressed suicidal thoughts or plans. • History of suicide attempt: decedent had previously attempted suicide before the fatal incident. |
| Homicide/Legal Intervention |
|
• Jealousy (lovers’ triangle): jealousy or distress over an intimate partner’s relationship or suspected relationship with another person. • Stalking: pattern of unwanted harassing or threatening tactics by either the decedent or suspect. • Prostitution: prostitution or related activity that includes prostitutes, pimps, clients, or others involved in such activity. • Drug involvement: drug dealing, drug trade, or illicit drug use that is suspected to have played a role in precipitating the incident. • Brawl: mutual physical fight involving three or more persons. • Mercy killing: decedent wished to die because of a terminal or hopeless disease or condition, and documentation indicates that the decedent wanted to be killed. • Victim was a bystander: decedent was not the intended target in the incident (e.g., pedestrian walking past a gang fight). • Victim was a police officer on duty: decedent was a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty. • Victim was an intervener assisting a crime victim: decedent was attempting to assist a crime victim at the time of the incident (e.g., a child attempts to intervene and is killed while trying to assist a parent who is being assaulted). • Victim used a weapon: decedent used a weapon to attack or defend during the course of the incident. • Intimate partner violence related: incident is related to conflict between current or former intimate partners; includes the death of an intimate partner or nonintimate partner (e.g., child, parent, friend, or law enforcement officer) killed in an incident that originated in a conflict between intimate partners. • Hate crime: decedent was selected intentionally because of his or her actual or perceived gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or disability. • Mentally ill suspect: suspect’s attack on decedent was believed to be the direct result of a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic condition, depression, or PTSD). • Drive-by shooting: suspect drove near the decedent and fired a weapon while driving. • Walk-by assault: decedent was killed by a targeted attack (e.g., ambush) where the suspect fled on foot. • Random violence: decedent was killed in a random act of violence (i.e., an act in which the suspect is not concerned with who is being harmed, just that someone is being harmed). • Gang related: incident resulted from gang activity or gang rivalry; not used if the decedent was a gang member and the death did not appear to result from gang activity. • Justifiable self-defense: decedent was killed by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty or by a civilian in legitimate self-defense or in defense of others. • Intimate partner violence related: incident is related to conflict between current or former intimate partners; includes the death of an intimate partner or nonintimate partner (e.g., child, parent, friend, or law enforcement officer) killed in an incident that originated in a conflict between intimate partners. |
| Suspect Information |
|
• Suspected other substance use by suspect: suspected substance use by the suspect in the hours preceding the incident. • Suspected alcohol use by suspect: suspected alcohol use by the suspect in the hours preceding the incident. • Suspect had developmental disability: suspect had developmental disability at time of incident. • Mentally ill suspect: suspect’s attack on decedent was believed to be the direct result of a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic condition, depression, or PTSD). • Prior contact with law enforcement: suspect had contact with law enforcement in the past 12 months. • Suspect attempted suicide after incident: suspect attempted suicide (fatally or nonfatally) after the death of the victim. • Suspect recently released from an institution: suspect injured victim within a month of being released from or admitted to an institutional setting (e.g., jail, hospital, psychiatric hospital). |
| All Manners of Death (Except Unintentional Firearm |
|
• Current depressed mood: decedent was perceived by self or others to be feeling depressed at the time of death. • Current diagnosed mental health problem: decedent was identified as having a mental health disorder or syndrome listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Version V (DSM-V), with the exception of alcohol and other substance dependence (these are captured in separate variables). • Type of mental health diagnosis: identifies the type of DSM-V diagnosis reported for the decedent. • Current mental health treatment: decedent was receiving mental health treatment as evidenced by a current prescription for a psychotropic medication, visit or visits to a mental health professional, or participation in a therapy group within the previous 2 months. • History of ever being treated for mental health problem: decedent was identified as having ever received mental health treatment. • Alcohol problem: decedent was perceived by self or others to have a problem with, or to be addicted to, alcohol. • Substance use problem (excludes alcohol): decedent was perceived by self or others to have a problem with, or be addicted to, a substance other than alcohol. • Other addiction: decedent was perceived by self or others to have an addiction other than to alcohol or other substance (e.g., gambling or sex). • Family relationship problem: decedent was experiencing problems with a family member, other than an intimate partner. • Other relationship problem (nonintimate): decedent was experiencing problems with a friend or associate (other than an intimate partner or family member). • History of child abuse or neglect: as a child, decedent had history of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse; physical (including medical or dental), emotional, or educational neglect; exposure to a violent environment, or inadequate supervision by a caretaker. • Caretaker abuse or neglect led to death: decedent was experiencing physical, sexual, or psychological abuse; physical (including medical or dental), emotional, or educational neglect; exposure to a violent environment; or inadequate supervision by a caretaker that led to death. • Perpetrator of interpersonal violence during previous month: decedent perpetrated interpersonal violence during the previous month. • Victim of interpersonal violence during previous month: decedent was the target of interpersonal violence during the past month. • Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl): a physical fight between two individuals that resulted in the death of the decedent, who was either involved in the fight, a bystander, or trying to stop the fight. • Argument or conflict: a specific argument or disagreement led to the victim’s death. • Precipitated by another crime: incident occurred as the result of another serious crime. • Nature of crime: the specific type of other crime that occurred during the incident (e.g., robbery or drug trafficking). • Crime in progress: another serious crime was in progress at the time of the incident. • Terrorist attack: decedent was injured in a terrorist attack, leading to death. • Crisis during previous or upcoming 2 weeks: current crisis or acute precipitating event or events that either occurred during the previous 2 weeks or was impending in the following 2 weeks (e.g., a trial for a criminal offense begins the following week) and appeared to have contributed to the death. Crises typically are associated with specific circumstance variables (e.g., job problem was a crisis, or a financial problem was a crisis). • Other crisis: a crisis related to a death but not captured by any of the standard circumstances. |
| Unintentional Firearm Death |
| Context of Injury |
|
• Hunting: death occurred any time after leaving home for a hunting trip and before returning home from a hunting trip. • Target shooting: shooter was aiming for a target and unintentionally hit the decedent; can be at a shooting range or an informal backyard setting (e.g., teenagers shooting at signposts on a fence). • Loading or unloading gun: gun discharged when the shooter was loading or unloading ammunition. • Cleaning gun: shooter pulled trigger or gun discharged while cleaning, repairing, assembling, or disassembling gun. • Showing gun to others: gun was being shown to another person when it discharged, or the trigger was pulled. • Playing with gun: shooter was playing with a gun when it discharged. • Celebratory firing: shooter fired gun in celebratory manner (e.g., firing into the air at midnight on New Year’s Eve). • Other context of injury: shooting occurred during some context other than those already described. |
| Mechanism of Injury |
|
• Unintentionally pulled trigger: shooter unintentionally pulled the trigger (e.g., while grabbing the gun or holding it too tightly). • Thought gun safety was engaged: shooter thought the safety was on and gun would not discharge. • Thought unloaded or magazine disengaged: shooter thought the gun was unloaded because the magazine was disengaged. • Thought gun was unloaded: shooter thought the gun was unloaded for other unspecified reason. • Bullet ricocheted: bullet ricocheted from its intended target and struck the decedent. • Gun fired due to defect or malfunction: gun had a defect or malfunctioned as determined by a trained firearm examiner. • Gun fired while holstering: gun was being replaced or removed from holster or clothing. • Gun was dropped: gun discharged when it was dropped. • Gun fired while operating safety or lock: shooter unintentionally fired the gun while operating the safety or lock. • Gun was mistaken for toy: gun was mistaken for a toy and was fired without the user understanding the danger. • Other mechanism of injury: shooting occurred as the result of a mechanism not already described. |
Box 3. Circumstances preceding fatal injury, by manner of death — National Violent Death Reporting System, 2018
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For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 52,773 incidents involving 54,170 deaths (Supplementary Table S1, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Suicide (n = 34,726; 64.1%) accounted for the highest rate of violent deaths (16.8 per 100,000 population aged ≥10 years), followed by homicide (n = 13,441; 24.8%) (5.7 per 100,000 population). Deaths of undetermined intent (n = 4,902; 9.0%), legal intervention deaths (n = 764; 1.4%), and unintentional firearm deaths (n = 337; <1.0%) occurred at lower rates (2.1, 0.3, and 0.1 per 100,000 population, respectively). Deaths by manner that include statewide counts and the rates for California are available (Supplementary Table S2, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767).
For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 34,683 incidents involving 34,726 suicide deaths among persons aged ≥10 years. Overall, the suicide rate was 16.8 per 100,000 population aged ≥10 years (Table 1).
The suicide rate for males (26.8 per 100,000 population) was 3.7 times the rate for females (7.2 per 100,000 population) (Table 1). The suicide rate for males ranged from 1.8 to 13.1 times the rate for females across age groups and 2.5 to 4.3 times the rate for females across racial and ethnic groups. Adults aged 45–54 years (20.0 per 100,000 population), 55–64 years (20.0 per 100,000 population), and 35–44 years (18.4 per 100,000 population) had the highest rates of suicide across age groups. Non-Hispanic White persons accounted for most (80.9%) of suicides; however, non-Hispanic AI/AN persons had the highest rate of suicide (28.8 per 100,000 population) among racial and ethnic groups.
Among male suicide decedents, approximately one half (49.2%) were aged 35–64 years (Table 1). Males aged ≥85 years had the highest rate of suicide (44.4 per 100,000 population), followed by males aged 75–84 years (35.3 per 100,000 population) and those aged 55–64 years (31.4 per 100,000 population). Non-Hispanic AI/AN males had the highest rate of suicide (45.6 per 100,000 population), followed by non-Hispanic White males (32.7 per 100,000 population). The rate of suicide for non-Hispanic AI/AN males was 3.6 times the rate for males with the lowest rate, Asians and Pacific Islanders (12.7 per 100,000 population). The suicide rate for non-Hispanic Black males was 14.9 per 100,000 population and 13.7 per 100,000 population for Hispanic males.
Among female suicide decedents, those aged 35–64 years accounted for 56.3% of suicides (Table 1). Females aged 45–54 years had the highest rate of suicide (10.0 per 100,000 population). The suicide rate was highest among non-Hispanic AI/AN females (12.9 per 100,000 population), followed by non-Hispanic White (8.8 per 100,000 population), Asian or Pacific Islander (5.0 per 100,000 population), Hispanic (3.6 per 100,000 population), and non-Hispanic Black (3.5 per 100,000 population) females. The suicide rate for non-Hispanic AI/AN females was 3.7 times the rate for females with the lowest rates (non-Hispanic Black females).
A firearm was used in approximately one half (48.2%) of suicides, followed by hanging, strangulation, and suffocation (29.5%) and poisoning (12.4%) (rates of 8.1, 4.9, and 2.1 per 100,000 population, respectively) (Table 1). Among males, the most common method of injury was a firearm (53.5%), followed by hanging, strangulation, or suffocation (29.0%). Among females, hanging, strangulation, or suffocation (31.0%) was the most common method of injury, and poisoning or a firearm were used in equal proportions (29.3%). Among all suicide decedents, the most common location of suicide was a house or apartment (71.8%), followed by a motor vehicle (5.1%), a natural area (4.7%), a hotel or motel (2.3%), and a street or highway (2.2%).
Toxicology tests for alcohol were conducted for 52.3% of suicide decedents (Table 2). Among those with positive results for alcohol (39.8%), 64.0% had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ≥0.08 g/dL (Blood alcohol concentration of ≥0.08 g/dL is over the legal limit in all states and the District of Columbia and is used as the standard for intoxication). Tests were conducted for amphetamines, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, and opioids for 41.3%, 28.2%, 41.1%, 41.8%, 35.4%, and 43.8% of decedents, respectively. Results for opioids (including illicit and prescription) were positive in 22.7% of decedents tested for these substances. Positive results were found for 13.9% of decedents tested for amphetamines, 7.2% of those tested for cocaine, and 23.6% of those tested for marijuana. Of those tested for antidepressants, 35.9% had positive results at the time of death, and 24.6% of those tested for benzodiazepines had positive results. Carbon monoxide was tested for a substantially smaller proportion of decedents (5.9%) but was identified in one third of those decedents (33.5%).
Circumstances were identified in 30,668 (88.3%) of suicides (Table 3). Overall, a mental health problem was the most common circumstance, with approximately one half (49.7%) of decedents having had a current diagnosed mental health problem and 34.3% experiencing a depressed mood at the time of death. Among the 15,233 decedents with a current diagnosed mental health problem, depression or dysthymia (75.0%), anxiety disorder (19.9%), and bipolar disorder (14.9%) were the most common diagnoses. Among suicide decedents, 26.1% were receiving mental health treatment at the time of death. Alcohol use problems were reported for 18.9% of suicide decedents, and other nonalcohol–related substance use problems were reported for 17.2% of suicide decedents (Table 3).
The most commonly reported interpersonal or life stressor precipitating circumstances were a recent or impending crisis during the previous or upcoming 2 weeks (30.7%), an intimate partner problem (27.0%), a physical health problem (21.3%), and an argument or conflict (15.9%). Among other circumstances related to the suicide, one third (33.4%) of decedents left a suicide note, 35.0% had a history of suicidal thoughts or plans, 20.3% had a history of previous suicide attempts, and 24.1% had disclosed suicidal intent to another person. Of those who disclosed intent, the greatest proportion of disclosures was to a previous or current intimate partner (37.7%), followed by a family member other than an intimate partner (30.1%) and a friend or colleague (12.2%).
A larger percentage of female decedents (64.7%) had a current diagnosed mental health problem than did male decedents (45.3%) (Table 3). Male and female suicide decedents had the same percentages of depressed mood at the time of death (34.3%). A larger percentage of female decedents (38.6%) than male decedents (22.4%) were known to have been receiving mental health treatment at the time of death. Suicide events, including leaving a suicide note, history of suicidal thoughts or plans, and history of suicide attempts, occurred more frequently and at higher rates among females than males.
For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 12,693 incidents involving 13,441 homicide deaths. Overall, the homicide rate was 5.7 per 100,000 population (Table 4).
The highest homicide rate was among adults aged 20–24 years (13.2 per 100,000 population) and was higher among males than among females across all age groups (Table 4). The homicide rate for males aged 20–24 years was 5.3 times the rate for females aged 20–24 years. Among males, the rate of homicide was highest among those aged 20–24 years and 25–29 years (21.8 and 21.3 per 100,000 population, respectively). Among females, the rate of homicide was highest among infants aged <1 year (6.3 per 100,000 population). The overall homicide rate for infants aged <1 year (7.3 per 100,000 population) was 3.3 times the overall rate for children aged 1–4 years (2.2 per 100,000 population) and 14.6 times the rate for children aged 5–9 years (0.5 per 100,000 population).
Non-Hispanic Black males accounted for 58.6% of male homicide victims and 46.3% of all homicides (Table 4). Non-Hispanic Black males had the highest rate of homicide across any racial or ethnic group (40.9 per 100,000 population); this rate was 17.0 times the rate for non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander males (2.4 per 100,000 population), 12.4 times the rate for non-Hispanic White males (3.3 per 100,000 population), 4.8 times the rate for Hispanic males (8.6 per 100,000 population), and 2.2 times the rate for non-Hispanic AI/AN males (18.2 per 100,000 population).
Among females, the homicide rate was highest among non-Hispanic Black persons (6.3 per 100,000 population) (Table 4), followed by non-Hispanic AI/AN persons (5.3 per 100,000 population), Hispanic persons (1.9 per 100,000 population), non-Hispanic White persons (1.7 per 100,000 population), and Asian or Pacific Islander persons (1.0 per 100,000 population).
A firearm was used in 71.5% of homicides, followed by sharp instrument (10.6%), blunt instrument (4.2%), personal weapon (e.g., hands, feet, or fists) (3.8%), and hanging, strangulation, or suffocation (2.3%) (Table 4). The method was unknown in 4.6% of homicides. A firearm was the most common method of injury for both males (75.7%) and females (55.4%); however, the firearm homicide rate for males was 5.3 times the rate for females (6.9 versus 1.3 per 100,000 population). A larger proportion of homicides among females than males involved a sharp instrument (15.5% versus 9.3%, respectively); a blunt instrument (7.0% versus 3.5%, respectively); hanging, strangulation, or suffocation (6.6% versus 1.1%, respectively); and a personal weapon (4.9% versus 3.4%, respectively). Among all homicide victims, a house or apartment was the most common location of homicide (44.7%), followed by a street or highway (21.2%), a motor vehicle (9.7%), and a parking lot, public garage, or public transport (4.0%). However, a larger proportion of homicides among females (64.9%) than among males (39.4%) occurred at a house or apartment, whereas a larger proportion of homicides among males (24.6%) than among females (8.4%) occurred on a street or highway.
The relationship of the victim to the suspect was known for 42.6% of homicides (36.4% of males and 65.8% of females) (Table 4). For males, when the relationship was known, the victim-suspect relationship was most often an acquaintance or a friend (31.6%), a person known to the victim but for whom the exact nature of the relationship was unclear (20.5%), a stranger (16.7%), or a current or former intimate partner (8.3%). For females, when the relationship was known, approximately one half (50.6%) were a current or former intimate partner, followed by an acquaintance or a friend (11.7%), a child (8.1%), a parent (6.3%), or a stranger (5.8%).
Precipitating circumstances were identified in 76.0% of homicides (Table 5). Approximately one in three homicides with known circumstances was precipitated by an argument or conflict (33.7%). Homicides also were commonly precipitated by another crime (26.2%); in 60.0% of those cases, the crime was in progress at the time of the incident. The most frequent types of precipitating crimes were assault or homicide (41.4%), robbery (32.6%), drug trade** (14.7%), burglary (12.9%), motor vehicle theft (4.7%), rape or sexual assault (2.8%), and arson (1.7%) (Supplementary Table S10, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Approximately one sixth (16.9%) of homicides with known circumstances were intimate partner violence related (Table 5). Intimate partner violence–related deaths include deaths related to conflict or violence between current or former intimate partners, and also include deaths associated with intimate partner violence that are not deaths of the intimate partners themselves (e.g., a former boyfriend kills the ex-partner’s new boyfriend). A physical fight between two persons (15.7%) and drug involvement (i.e., drug dealing, drug trade, or drug use) (12.3%) were other common precipitating circumstances.
Among the identified homicide circumstances, several differences were noted by decedent’s sex, and intimate partner violence accounted for the largest percentage difference (Table 5). Intimate partner violence was a precipitating circumstance for approximately 44.6% of homicides among females but only 8.6% of homicides among males. A larger proportion of female victims (8.4%) than male victims (3.3%) of homicide also resulted from caretaker abuse or neglect. A larger proportion of homicides of female victims were perpetrated by a suspect with a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic conditions, depression, or PTSD; 6.6%) than homicides of male victims (2.1%). A larger proportion of homicides of males than females were preceded by a physical fight (17.6% versus 9.0%, respectively), involved drugs (14.3% versus 5.5%, respectively), and were gang related (12.6% versus 4.0%, respectively). A larger proportion of male victims (7.8%) than female victims (1.2%) also was reported to have used a weapon during the incident.
In addition to summarizing NVDRS victim data, this report highlights information about suspected perpetrators (suspects) of homicides for cases with suspect information. Suspect information can be used to support violence prevention efforts by improving understanding of the contextual factors related to fatal violence perpetration and of the circumstances surrounding these incidents. In NVDRS, a suspect is defined as a person believed by law enforcement to have perpetrated a fatal injury in an incident [6]. For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 8,051 homicide incidents with an identified suspect, representing 63.4% of all homicide incidents. Information was collected on 9,931 suspects, as certain incidents had multiple suspects. Suspect age was missing for 26.2% (n = 2,600) of suspects. This report includes analyses for 7,331 suspects in the 6,071 homicide incidents (47.8% of all homicide incidents) in which a suspect was identified and the suspect’s age was known (Table 6).
Suspect demographics. Overall, 87.4% of suspects in homicides were male and 12.3% were female (Table 6). For <1% of suspects, the sex was unknown. Regarding suspect race and ethnicity, 51.8% of suspects were non-Hispanic Black, followed by non-Hispanic White (29.8%) and Hispanic (8.5%). Non-Hispanic AI/AN and Asian or Pacific Islander persons each represented <1.0% of homicide suspects. Race and ethnicity were unknown for 8.0% of suspects.
Victim-suspect relationship. In cases in which the relationship of the victim to the suspect was known, 27.6% of suspects were accused of fatally injuring an acquaintance or friend, and 21.3% were suspected of fatally injuring a current or former spouse or intimate partner (Table 6). Approximately one sixth (15.5%) were suspected of fatally injuring someone else whom they knew but who did not fall into the categories of a friend, family member, rival gang member, or current or former intimate partner. In 13.9% of homicides, the victim was a stranger to the suspect. In addition, 6.9% and 6.1% of victims in homicides were another relative or a child of the suspect, respectively.
Suspect substance use, mental health, and law enforcement contact. Approximately one in 12 (8.6%) suspects were perceived as being under the influence of substances (other than alcohol), and 7.5% were suspected of using alcohol in the hours preceding the fatal incident (Table 6). Approximately one in 20 (4.8%) of suspects were thought to have a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic conditions, depression, or PTSD) that directly contributed to the fatal injury, and <1.0% had a developmental disability. Approximately one in 10 suspects (11.6%) had prior contact with law enforcement, 7.9% attempted suicide after the homicide incident, and 2.2% were reported as having been recently released from an institution (e.g., jail, hospital, or psychiatric hospital).
Most common homicide circumstances. Approximately one third (28.1%) of suspects were involved in incidents that were precipitated by another crime (Table 6). One fourth of suspects (25.1%) were involved in homicides for which intimate partner violence was a precipitating circumstance, and 12.4% were part of incidents with drug involvement.
Among suspects aged <18 years, 91.0% were male, and 7.9% were female (Table 6). The majority of suspects in this age group were non-Hispanic Black persons (62.0%), followed by non-Hispanic White (18.6%), Hispanic (7.9%), non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander persons (<1.0%), and AI/AN (<1.0%) persons. Suspects within this age group were primarily suspected of fatally injuring an acquaintance or friend (31.2%) or a stranger (24.5%). Approximately one in 11 (7.8%) suspects were perceived to be under the influence of a substance other than alcohol at the time of the incident, and 11.0% had prior contact with law enforcement. The most common precipitating circumstances for suspects in this age group were that the fatal injury was precipitated by another crime (38.9%), was drug involved (19.8%), or was gang related (9.9%).
Among suspects aged 18–24 years, 88.8% were male, and 10.7% were female (Table 6). More than one half (61.5%) of suspects in this age group were non-Hispanic Black persons, and 19.2% were non-Hispanic White persons. Suspects aged 18–24 years were primarily suspected of fatally injuring an acquaintance or friend (34.0%), a stranger (17.6%), or another person whom they knew but who did not fall into the categories of friend, family member, rival gang member, or current or former intimate partner (17.5%). Approximately one in 13 suspects (7.5%) were under the influence of a substance other than alcohol at the time of the incident, and 11.0% had prior contact with law enforcement. The most common precipitating circumstances for suspects in this age group were that the fatal injury was precipitated by another crime (32.8%), involved drugs (16.1%), or was intimate partner violence related (12.1%).
Among suspects aged 25–44 years, 86.5% were male, and 13.2% were female (Table 6). Approximately one half (51.5%) of suspects in this age group were non-Hispanic Black persons, and 29.3% were non-Hispanic White persons. Suspects aged 25–44 years were primarily suspected of fatally injuring an acquaintance or friend (27.0%) or a current or former spouse or an intimate partner (21.2%). Approximately one in 10 suspects (10.1%) was perceived to be under the influence of a substance other than alcohol at the time of the incident, and 13.1% had prior contact with law enforcement. The most common incident circumstances for suspects in this age group were that the fatal injury was precipitated by another crime (27.5%), was intimate partner violence related (25.5%), or was drug involved (12.7%).
Among suspects aged 45–64 years, 85.0% were male, and 14.9% were female (Table 6). One half of suspects in this age group were non-Hispanic White (50.0%) persons, and 36.0% were non-Hispanic Black persons. Suspects aged 45–64 years were primarily suspected of fatally injuring a current or former spouse or intimate partner (38.5%) or an acquaintance or a friend (22.2%). Approximately one in 10 (11.5%) suspects was suspected of using alcohol in the hours preceding the incident, and 17.5% attempted suicide after the incident. The most common incident circumstances for suspects in this age group were that the fatal injury was intimate partner violence–related (42.3%), the injury was precipitated by another crime (22.0%), or the victim used a weapon during the fatal incident (6.2%).
Among suspects aged ≥65 years, 90.4% were male, and 9.6% were female (Table 6). Over two thirds of suspects in this age group were non-Hispanic White (68.3%) persons, and 16.1% were non-Hispanic Black persons. Suspects aged ≥65 years were primarily suspected of fatally injuring a current or former spouse or intimate partner (56.4%) or an acquaintance or a friend (10.4%). Approximately one in 10 (9.9%) suspects were believed to have a mental health problem (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic conditions, depression, or PTSD) that directly influenced the fatal injury, and 38.5% attempted suicide after the incident. The most common circumstances for suspects in this age group were that the fatal injury was intimate partner violence-related (58.2%), and the incident was precipitated by another crime (14.9%).
For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 757 legal intervention death incidents involving 764 deaths. Almost all legal intervention deaths were among males (95.2%) (Table 7). The highest rate of legal intervention death by age group was among males aged 30–34 years (1.5 per 100,000 population), followed by males aged 35–44 years and 25–29 years both at 1.3 per 100,000 population. Although non-Hispanic White males accounted for nearly half (46.3%) of all legal intervention deaths, non-Hispanic AI/AN males had the highest legal intervention death rate (2.6 per 100,000 population), representing a rate 5.2 times the rate for non-Hispanic White males (0.5 per 100,000 population). The legal intervention death rate for non-Hispanic Black males (1.3 per 100,000 population) was 2.6 times the rate for non-Hispanic White males. The legal intervention death rate for Hispanic males was 0.8 per 100,000 population.
A firearm was used in most (90.1%) legal intervention deaths (Table 7). Legal intervention deaths occurred most frequently in a house or apartment (35.6%), followed by a street or highway (25.7%) or a motor vehicle (10.6%).
Precipitating circumstances were identified in 96.1% of legal intervention deaths (Table 8). When a specific type of crime was known to have precipitated a legal intervention death (n = 633), the type of crime was most frequently assault or homicide (61.8%), followed by other crime (30.5%), motor vehicle theft (9.3%), robbery (8.5%), burglary (7.0%), and drug trade (1.9%) (Supplementary Table S13, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Among the legal intervention deaths that were precipitated by another crime (86.2%), a crime was reportedly in progress at the time of the incident in approximately three fourths (72.2%) of the deaths (Table 8). The decedent reportedly used a weapon in 73.4% of cases. In 27.7% of legal intervention deaths with known circumstances, a substance use problem (other than alcohol) was reported as a contributing factor, and 19.2% of decedents reportedly had a current diagnosed mental health problem. An argument or conflict precipitated 15.8% of legal intervention deaths, and a recent or impending crisis during the previous or upcoming 2 weeks was reported in 12.0% of legal intervention deaths. Among legal intervention deaths with known circumstances, intimate partner violence (10.4%), being a perpetrator of interpersonal violence during the past month (8.6%), family relationship problem (8.4%) and drug involvement (5.4%) were other notable precipitating circumstances.
For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 547 law enforcement officers who inflicted fatal injuries in legal intervention deaths from 383 legal intervention incidents. Almost all officers inflicting fatal injuries with known sex (98.7%) were male (96.3%) (Table 9). Age was unknown for 66.2% of officers. Those aged 25–44 years comprised the largest proportion of officers (26.5%), followed by those aged 45–64 (6.2%). Race and ethnicity were unknown for more than one half (56.1%) of officers who inflicted fatal injuries in legal intervention deaths. When race and ethnicity were known, the largest proportion of officers was non-Hispanic White (37.8%), followed by Hispanic (3.1%) and non-Hispanic Black (2.9%).
For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 335 incidents involving 337 unintentional firearm deaths. Approximately one half (160; 47.5%; data not shown) of these deaths were self-inflicted, and 129 deaths (38.3%; data not shown) were known to be inflicted by another person; for the remaining 48 deaths (14.2%; data not shown), who inflicted the injury was unknown. Males accounted for 88.1% of decedents (Table 10). Persons aged ≤24 years accounted for approximately one half (54.5%) of all unintentional firearm deaths. Approximately 19.8% of decedents were aged <15 years. The majority of decedents were non-Hispanic White (57.0%) persons, followed by non-Hispanic Black persons (32.3%).
Among unintentional firearm deaths, 76.0% occurred in a house or apartment, followed by a natural area (6.8%) or a motor vehicle (5.0%) (Table 10). The majority of unintentional firearm deaths involved a handgun (61.7%), followed by a rifle (13.1%) or a shotgun (8.9%). In 16.0% of unintentional firearm deaths, the firearm type was unknown.
The context and circumstances of injury were identified in 88.4% of unintentional firearm deaths (Table 10). Among those with context and circumstance information, the most common context of injury was playing with a gun (41.6%) followed by showing the gun to others (15.4%), cleaning the gun (8.7%), and hunting (7.0%) (Table 11). Regarding the circumstances of injury, approximately one fourth (22.1%) of unintentional firearm deaths were caused by a person unintentionally pulling the trigger, 11.7% mistakenly thinking the gun was unloaded, and 6.7% mistakenly thinking the magazine was disengaged.
For 2018, a total of 39 states and the District of Columbia collected data on 4,869 incidents involving 4,902 deaths of undetermined intent (Supplementary Table S1, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). The overall rate of deaths of undetermined intent was 2.1 per 100,000 population. The rate of deaths of undetermined intent was higher among males (2.8 per 100,000 population) than among females (1.4 per 100,000 population) (Supplementary Table S4, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). More than one half (59.3%) of deaths of undetermined intent were among adults aged 35–64 years. The rate of deaths of undetermined intent was highest among adults aged 45–54 years (3.6 per 100,000 population), followed by adults aged 30–34 years (3.5 per 100,000 population), 35–44 years (3.2 per 100,000 population), and 55–64 years (2.9 per 100,000 population). Although non-Hispanic White persons accounted for the majority (67.9%, 2.2 per 100,000 population) of deaths of undetermined intent, non-Hispanic Black persons had the highest rate (3.5 per 100,000 population). Among males, non-Hispanic Black persons (5.6 per 100,000 population) and non-Hispanic AI/AN persons (3.8 per 100,000 population) had the highest rate of deaths of undetermined intent. Among females, non-Hispanic Black persons had the highest rate of deaths of undetermined intent (1.7 per 100,000 population), followed by non-Hispanic White persons (1.6 per 100,000 population).
Poisoning was the most common method of injury in deaths of undetermined intent (68.3%) (Supplementary Table S4, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). No other known method accounted for >4.6% of deaths The majority of deaths of undetermined intent occurred in a house or apartment (66.1%), followed by a natural area (5.0%) or a street or highway (3.8%).
Tests for antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids were conducted for 35.9%, 40.8%, and 73.8% of decedents, respectively (Supplementary Table S5, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Results for antidepressants were positive in 56.4% of decedents and benzodiazepines were positive in 46.7% of decedents tested for those substances. Results for opioids (including illicit or prescription) were positive in 77.8% of decedents tested.
Circumstances were identified in 80.5% of deaths of undetermined intent (Supplementary Table S6, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Among deaths of undetermined intent with known circumstances, 35.9% of decedents had a current diagnosed mental health problem; depression or dysthymia (55.1%), anxiety disorder (25.7%), and bipolar disorder (22.3%) were the most common diagnoses. Among deaths of undetermined intent, 22.6% were receiving mental health treatment at the time of death and 7.7% of decedents had a current depressed mood. Substance use problems (other than alcohol) (69.0%) and alcohol problems (25.2%) were the most commonly reported circumstances. Physical health problems (11.7%) and a recent or impending crisis during the preceding or upcoming 2 weeks (9.5%) were other life stressors identified in deaths of undetermined intent. Among decedents, 9.7% had a history of suicidal thoughts or plans, 6.9% had a history of suicide attempt, and 4.1% had disclosed intent to die by suicide.
For 2018, Puerto Rico collected data on 880 incidents involving 975 deaths. Homicide (672; 68.9%) accounted for the highest rate of violent death (21.0 per 100,000 population), followed by suicide (266; 27.3%; 9.2 per 100,000 population aged ≥10 years) (Supplementary Table S15, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767).
For 2018, a total of 619 homicides among males and 53 homicides among females were reported in Puerto Rico (Supplementary Table S15, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). The overall homicide rate for males was 12.8 times the rate for females (40.8 versus 3.2 per 100,000 population). Among males, the homicide rate was 105.0 per 100,000 population among those aged 18–29 years and 81.1 per 100,000 population among those aged 30–44 years. Most (95.1%) homicide victims were Hispanic.
A firearm was used in most (90.3%) of homicides (Supplementary Table S15, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). A firearm was the most common method used in homicides of both males (91.6%) and females (75.5%); however, the firearm homicide rate for males (37.4 per 100,000 population) was 15.6 times the rate for females (2.4 per 100,000 population). Among males, a street or highway was the most common location (49.1%) of homicides, whereas a house or apartment was the most common location (43.4%) of homicides for females.
The victim-suspect relationship was known for 33.6% of homicides (Supplementary Table S15, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). When the relationship was known, the suspect for male victims was most often another person known to the victim (46.8%) but the exact nature of the relationship was unclear, whereas the suspect for approximately two thirds (63.9%) of female victims was a current or former intimate partner.
Tests for alcohol were conducted for 99.3% of homicide decedents (Supplementary Table S16, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Among those with positive results for alcohol (36.0%), 52.1% had a BAC ≥0.08 g/dL. Tests for cocaine, marijuana, and opioids were conducted for 99.1%, 67.6%, and 99.0% of decedents, respectively. Results for cocaine, marijuana, and opioids were positive in 14.6%, 36.3%, and 3.3% of decedents tested, respectively.
Precipitating circumstances were identified in 90.6% of homicides (Supplementary Table S17, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Among males, 52.4% of homicides involved illicit drugs and 51.7% were gang related. More than one fourth (27.0%) of homicides among males involved drive-by shootings. Intimate partner violence was identified as a contributing factor in 11.0% of homicides overall; a larger proportion of homicides among females (46.0%) was precipitated by intimate partner violence than among males (7.9%).
For 2018, a total of 266 suicides among persons aged ≥10 years (231 suicides among males and 35 suicides among females) were reported in Puerto Rico (Supplementary Table S18, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). The suicide rate for males was 7.3 times the rate for females (16.9 versus 2.3 per 100,000 population aged ≥10 years). The suicide rate was 25.8 per 100,000 population among males aged 30–44 years and 21.8 per 100,000 population among males aged 45–64 years. Most (93.2%) suicide decedents were Hispanic.
Hanging, strangulation, or suffocation was the most commonly used method for suicide among both males (67.5%) and females (68.6%) (Supplementary Table S18, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). A firearm was used in 19.0% of suicides among males. The most common location where a suicide took place was a house or apartment for both males (78.4%) and females (82.9%).
Tests for alcohol were conducted for 98.9% of suicide decedents (Supplementary Table S19, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Among those with positive results for alcohol (30.4%), 62.5% had a BAC ≥0.08 g/dL. Tests for cocaine, marijuana, and opioids were conducted for 98.9%, 62.0%, and 98.5% of decedents, respectively. Results for cocaine were positive in 9.9% of decedents tested, and results for marijuana were positive in 8.5% of decedents tested.
Circumstances were identified in 93.2% of suicides (Supplementary Table S20, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112767). Overall, a mental health problem was the most common circumstance among suicide decedents, with 51.2% experiencing a depressed mood at the time of death and 42.3% having a current diagnosed mental health problem.
Among males, 51.2% of suicide decedents had a current depressed mood, and 38.1% had a current diagnosed mental health problem. Depression or dysthymia was most often the mental health diagnosis experienced by male suicide decedents with a diagnosed mental health problem (80.5%), followed by schizophrenia (15.9%). One fourth (25.6%) of male suicide decedents had a history of ever being treated for a mental health problem. More than one third (34.0%) of male suicide decedents had a history of expressing suicidal thoughts and plans, and 26.5% had a history of attempting suicide. Other precipitating circumstances for male suicides included intimate partner problems (21.9%), physical health problem (20.5%), an argument or conflict (9.8%), and a crisis during the previous or upcoming 2 weeks (8.8%).
Among female suicide decedents, 51.5% had current depressed mood, and 69.7% had a current diagnosed mental health problem. Depression or dysthymia was most often the mental health diagnosis experienced by female suicide decedents who had a diagnosed mental health problem (69.6%). Among female decedents, 42.4% had a history of ever being treated for a mental health problem, and 48.5% had a history of attempting suicide.
