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<p>The hispanic community had the largest number of children and young adults who were homicide victims in San Diego County in 2015, this according to a new report released by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).<br>
The report highlights identifying details of victims and suspects involved in specific violent crimes, including gender, ethnicity, and age.<br>
In 2015, there were 84 reported homicides in San Diego County. Of these, 27 percent, the second largest group, were Hispanic victims. Out of all Hispanic homicide victims, 43 percent were 18 to 24 years old, and 9 percent were 17 and under. The largest group, making up 39 percent of cases, were whites.<br>
Also, of the total reported homicides in San Diego County last year, 69 cases, or 82 percent, had a known motive. As with victims of other violent crimes, homicide data shows little fluctuation over the years in the characteristics and motives behind the homicides.<br>
Adults under 40 years old are most at risk, assailants usually know their victims, and arguments are the most common precipitating motive behind a homicide.<br>
Females were more likely to be killed by someone they knew, at a 96 percent rate, compared to males, murdered at a rate of 59 percent by someone they know.<br>
The SANDAG report is intended to provide a broad picture of the victims affected by violent crime in the San Diego County region. Victim and suspect characteristics were analyzed by crime type and viewed within the context of which subgroups of the region’s population were at greater risk of victimization. The report describes the characteristics of those who reported being a victim of a part I violent crime—such as homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault—in 2015.<br>
The racial or ethnic characteristics of violent crime victims differed somewhat compared to their representation in San Diego County. Black residents were around three times more likely to be a victim of violent crime compared to their proportion in the population; and conversely, Whites and individuals of other races were underrepresented as violent crime victims compared to their representation in the population. Hispanics were underrepresented among homicide and rape victims, but slightly overrepresented among robbery victims.<br>
According to the report, to better understand the larger impact of crime, it is important to provide data on victims as part of any crime series or discussion to understand who is at greatest risk for specific crimes.<br>
It also is important to keep in mind when reviewing the information that only around half of violent crimes are reported to the police, with rape and sexual assault having the smallest reporting rate. While crime rates have fluctuated over the years, there has been little change in the characteristics of both victims and suspects. Adults age 39 or younger are more likely to be both a suspect and a victim of crime.</p>