Study links homicides to peer conflict

Pitt researchers released a report Tuesday in which they claim that almost a third of homicides in Pittsburgh could have been prevented.

The Center for Health Equity in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health began conducting the Community Violence Prevention Project in August 2012. Through the project, researchers analyzed all 42 solved or unsolved homicides — more than 95 percent of which resulted from a gunshot wound — that occurred within the city of Pittsburgh in 2012.

Researchers aimed to identify the underlying causes of homicides, including peer conflict and other social factors. They also traced homicide patterns that indicated a prevalence within certain demographic groups and neighborhoods.

According to the report, eight of the 42 homicides resulted from peer violence. The researchers define peer violence as occurring between individuals who know one another.

“Perpetrators and victims often know each other and move in similar circles,” said Steven Albert, the chairman of Pitt’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences.

The researchers argue that these peer-related homicides are preventable through intervention. According to the report, communities can encourage positive influences in the lives of youth who are at risk of engaging in violence.

Community organizations, religious institutions and behavioral programs can also reach out to engage at-risk youth and provide appropriate services.

Another 12 of the murders the researchers reviewed were not peer or gang related. In the report, the researchers said these deaths resulted from isolated conflicts, such as robberies or home invasions.

Only three of the homicides were described as gang related.

In three others, the motives were listed as unknown.

Albert said that the researchers began to review the circumstances of each murder by reviewing information from official reports.

He also said that investigators working on behalf of the researchers visited the communities where homicide victims lived to get information on each victim’s background, such as whether he or she was involved with a gang and whether he or she knew the perpetrators of their homicides.

“We might try to flesh out the police report a little bit,” Albert said. “But we’re not trying to do police work.”

The project also found that homicides were most common among specific groups and areas in Pittsburgh. More than 93 percent of homicide victims were male, and more than 83 percent of the victims were black. The most common age range of victims was 18 to 25 years old.

More than 42 percent of the homicides occurred in Police Zone 5, which includes the Bloomfield, East Liberty, Friendship, Highland Park, Homewood and Garfield neighborhoods.

The researchers compiled data from the Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime, Allegheny County Jail, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Allegheny County adult and juvenile probation offices and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. This data indicated each victim’s gender, race, age and location.

Additionally, researchers attended community and coalition meetings, conducted informal interviews and engaged in community outreach.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation, based in southwestern Pennsylvania, provided a grant for this project.

Mike Manko, a spokesman for the office of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, and Diane Richard, a spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Police Department, were unavailable for comment Tuesday.