Firearm Homicide-Suicides in North Carolina: Evidence from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System, 2004-2014

Cook, Philip J

Kerber, Rose

2016-05-17T21:20:26Z

2016-05-17T21:20:26Z

2016-05-17

The Sanford School of Public Policy

Homicide-suicides are a patterned type of violence that is distinct from other suicides and other homicides. The evidence presented in this analysis suggests that compared to both homicides and suicides, homicide-suicides are less reflective of personal problems experienced by the perpetrator and more reflective of troubled and abusive relationships between the perpetrator and the victim(s). The evidence suggests that perpetrators become maximally violent when they have lost control of a relationship. The intense fixation on the victim suggests that these incidents may be primarily homicidal. The suicidal act may be less premeditated than the homicide, and may instead reflect the perpetrator’s complete loss of control and inability to function without their primary relationship. Homicide-suicides are often preceded by a history of domestic violence and interaction with law enforcement. Interactions with law enforcement and the court system present key opportunities for intervention in abusive relationships that might prevent escalation. With better screening and robust policies that empower law enforcement and the court system to confiscate firearms from abusive individuals, hundreds of deaths could be prevented over the next decade.

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12036

Firearms

Domestic violence

gun policy

homicide

Suicide

homicide-suicide

Firearm Homicide-Suicides in North Carolina: Evidence from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System, 2004-2014

Master's project

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