[Homicides in Medellín, Colombia, from 1990 to 2002: victims, motives and circumstances].
In Medellín, Colombia, homicide has been the first cause of morbidity and mortality for 20 years. Medellín has the highest homicide rates of all major cities in Latin America. This study describes the victims, motives, and circumstances in homicides in Medellín from 1990 to 2002. The period included 55,365 homicides, of which 1,394 were randomly studied. Of this sample, 93.6% (95%CI: 92.2%-94.8%) were males, 77.0% (95%CI: 75.0%-79.5%) less than 35 years of age, one-fourth had consumed alcohol, and nine out of ten were killed with firearms. The main motives were revenge and armed robbery. 37.0% (95%CI: 34.0%-41.0%) of the victims lived in the lowest socioeconomic stratum of the city. Characteristics of homicides in Medellín have remained unchanged since the 1980s, when the most violent period in the city's history began. The most heavily affected groups are young males who live and die in poor neighborhoods, and the murders are individual acts that leave no wounded behind.
Cardona
Marleny
M
Grupo de Investigación en Violencia Urbana, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
García
Héctor Iván
HI
Giraldo
Carlos Alberto
CA
López
María Victoria
MV
Suárez
Clara Mercedes
CM
Corcho
Diana Carolina
DC
Posada
Carlos Hernán
CH
Flórez
María Nubia
MN
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*