Citation

Cardona M, Garcia HI, Giraldo CA, Lopez MV, Suarez CM, Corcho DC, Posada CH, Florez MN. Cad. Saude Publica 2005; 21(3): 840-851.

Vernacular Title

Homicidios en Medellin, Colombia, entre 1990 y 2002: actores, moviles y

Affiliation

Grupo de Investigacion en Violencia Urbana, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Escola Nacional De Saude Publica)

DOI

/S0102-311X2005000300018

PMID

15868042

Abstract

In Medellin, Colombia, homicide has been the first cause of morbidity and mortality for 20 years. Medellin has the highest homicide rates of all major cities in Latin America. This study describes the victims, motives, and circumstances in homicides in Medellin 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 Medellin 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.