More than 2,400 females were killed by males in 2022 and of these, 87.5% knew their killer. Guns were used in 66% of the attacks according to the most recent edition of the annual Violence Policy Center (VPC) study When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2022 Homicide Data. Each year the VPC releases this report for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. “Women killed by men are almost always killed by someone they know and more than half are killed by an intimate partner,” said the group's Kristen Rand. “Much more must be done to identify and implement effective strategies to prevent these tragedies. More resources are needed at the federal, state, and local levels to help keep women safe.” Over 27 years (1996 to 2022), the rate of females murdered by males in single-victim/single-offender cases decreased by 13%. After hitting a low in 2013, the rate has risen 27% in 2022.
Nationwide, 2,410 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2022. Of the 2,331 homicides where the race of the victim was identified, 1,453 were white, 763 were Black, 66 were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 49 were American Indian or Alaskan Native. Nearly nine out of 10 victims knew their offenders. Of the victims who knew their offenders, 58.1% were wives or other intimate acquaintances of their killers. Seven times as many females were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers. Black women are disproportionately impacted by lethal domestic violence committed by males. In 2022, Black females were murdered by males at nearly three times the rate of white females murdered by males. Firearms were the weapons most 0used by males to murder females in 2022. The percentage of females killed by males with a firearm has increased substantially, from 51% in 2011 to 66% in 2022.
Comments