Women were a greater proportion of those slain in Iowa last year than at any other time in the past five years, says The Des Moines Register. Typically, about one-third of homicide victims are female. In 2003, the percentage rose to 46 percent. “Violence by an intimate partner does seem to be more prevalent,” said Lynnette Irlmeier of the Iowa Domestic Abuse Death Review Team. In at least 16 of the 24 cases in which a woman or girl was killed by another person during 2003, a relative or close acquaintance was charged or named as a suspect.
The Register also found:
* At least 26 of 52 homicides in Iowa involved a gun.
* The average age of Iowa homicide victims was 30.
* Two people were shot by on-duty law enforcement officers, down from seven the year before.
In 2002, Iowa’s murder rate of 1.5 for every 100,000 residents put the state 46th in the nation.
Link: http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/23227118.html