title: Homicide in Tours (Indre-et-Loire, France): a four-year review.
abstract: This retrospective study examined homicides in two French departments located in the West of France (Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher) for a four-year period from 2000 to 2003. During this period 63 homicidal deaths were investigated at the Institute of Forensic Science of Tours (Indre-et-Loire). There were 45 male and 18 female victims with an average homicide rate of 1.55 per 100,000 persons. The mean age of the victims was 42 years-old. Forty-five assailants were identified; their mean age was 38 years-old. The most common method of homicide was the use of firearms (40% of the cases), followed by blunt-force injury (36%) and sharp-force injury (16%). 51% of the victims knew their assailant, a family member in 26% of the cases. Spousal homicides occurred in 16% of the cases. Dyadic death occurred in six cases. A review of the literature compares these findings to other populations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Science, Trousseau Hospital, University Hospital of Tours, 37 044 Tours Cedex 1, France. ppauline51@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saint-Martin
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouyssy
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bathellier
authors.forename: Saad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarraj
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Byrne
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D044709:Forensic Ballistics; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution