Homicide in North Dakota, 2002

• NCJ Number: 203888
• Author(s): Colleen Weltz
• Date Published: October 2003
• Length: 20 pages
• Corporate Author: North Dakota Office of the Attorney General
• Sale Source: North Dakota Office of the Attorney General; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Annual/Periodic)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded January 16, 2004.

Annotation

This 2002 Annual Report presents information about homicide in North Dakota for 2002 and offers a trend analysis for the years 1978 through 2002.

Abstract

In North Dakota during 2002, a total of six homicides were reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. This represents 0.9 homicides per 100,000 people. Of these six homicides, four of the victims were adults, four of the victims were female, four of the homicides were a result of domestic violence incidents, all of the identified assailants were male, all of the identified assailants were adults, and firearms were involved in two of the homicides. The remainder of the report offers a trend analysis of homicide in North Dakota from the year 1978 through 2002. During this time period, there were a total of 273 homicides. Of these 273 homicide victims, 59 percent were male and 85 percent were adults. Fifty-one percent of the incidents involved firearms, while 25 percent involved “personal weapons,” including fists and feet. The month of December had the highest number of deaths from homicide during the period 1978 through 2002, followed by September and March. The characteristics of domestic violence homicides are presented and include a full 50 percent of the homicides for the period 1978 through 2002. Victims killed in domestic violence incidents were more likely to be killed with a firearm than victims killed in non-domestic violence incidents. Of the total homicides from 1978 to 2002, 72 percent of the female victims and 35 percent of the male victims were killed in domestic violence incidents. Data on clearance rates are offered; the average clearance rate for homicide in North Dakota was 93 percent during the period 1978 through 2002. Finally, the report offers information about identified assailant and weapons characteristics. During 1978 through 2002, 89 percent of the identified assailants were male and 86 percent were adults. Male assailants were more likely to use firearms during the commission of a homicide, while females were more likely to use knives. Tables