Homicide Victim's Profile Analysis in Miami-Dade County, 2004 to 2007

Background. The word homicide invoke pictures of horror movies and forensic science related TV shows with white-chalk outline of bodies, none of these images really portrays homicide as a serious health related problem. Since victim's family's and friends' life is affected by this despicable act of violence, this topic should be considered relevant to the public health prevention agenda. Homicide rates in U.S. have not changed during the last several years. In contrast, the number of homicide victims in Miami-Dade County (MDC) from 2004 to 2007 increased 24 percent. Methods. This is a descriptive study of homicide victims in Miami-Dade County, FL during the years 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The data was obtained from the Miami-Dade County's office of the Medical Examiner. Associations between categorical variables were explored using Chi-Square tests; Student's t-tests were used to identify differences between selected groups. Results. There has been an increment in homicide rates from 2004 to 2007; the homicide rate for the selected period was almost two times higher than the national average. Black Non-Hispanics count for 19% of the county population, but 56% of homicide victims are among this ethnic group. Hispanics were 30% more at risk of being a victim of homicide in 2007 than they were in 2004. Sadly, a substantial portion of the homicide victims is considerably young, and victims' age has decreased during past years. Conclusion. Homicide by gunshot is at an increasing trend in MDC, especially among young Blacks Non-Hispanics and Hispanics males.