Mississippi 9th for Black homicide rate in US: report

Date:2025-08-05 02:33:42 Category:US Views:1 Comment:0

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Homicide rates are a problem statewide, but a Violence Policy Center (VPC) report revealled that it particularly impacts Black Mississippians.

Though only 13.7% of the overall U.S. population is Black, more than half of all homicide victims in 2023 were as well. The VPC found that there were 437 Black homicide victims killed in Mississippi in 2023, the year with the latest data. This led to Mississippi having the ninth-highest rate of homicide among African Americans nationally.

Of the Black homicide victims from Mississippi, 51 were under the age of 18; 12 were either at or over the age of 65. Twenty-four out of 25 victims are killed either by a gun (93.6%) or a knife (2.7%). Based on available data, the victim and the suspect knew each other in 90% of all homicides statewide.

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For homicides in which the circumstances were discernible, 92% percent did not stem from another felony. About 54% of those homicides began with an argument between the victim and offender. Nationally, VPC found that the Black homicide victimization rate was nearly four times the overall homicide rate and nearly seven times the white homicide rate.

The Violence Policy Center found that homicide was the leading cause of death among Black youth and young adults aged 10 to 24. It was the second leading cause of death among Black individuals ages one to nine and 25 to 34. Over 85% of homicides among Black people involved a gun. That is the highest rate among all racial groups.

For families of victims in need of resources, visit the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ Division of Victim Services.

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