The Impact of COVID-19 on Teenage Homicide Incidence: A Retrospective Review of Forensic Autopsy Cases in Maryland from 2018 to 2021

Abstract

Homicides in the United States disproportionately affect minorities, and previous research also indicates that increased economic deprivation and social disorganization correlates with increased rates of homicide. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated economic disparities and may have magnified existing disparities in homicide rates. Few studies have examined the incidence of teenage homicides throughout the United States, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a retrospective case review of homicides involving youth between the age group of 13 and 19 years from 2018 to 2021 in the state of Maryland. The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19 affected rates of youth homicide. A total of 230 teenage homicides occurred in Maryland from 2018 to 2021 with 113 cases during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (2018/2019) and 117 cases during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020/2021). The majority of teenage homicide victims were African − American male. More than 83% and 79% of victims were African − American in 2018/2019 and 2020/2021, respectively. Victims were also predominantly male (90% in 2018/2019 and 88% in 2020/2021). Maryland has a population of approximately 6 million people and is made up of 23 countries and Baltimore City. Nearly half of the overall incidents of teenage homicide took place in Baltimore City (49.6% pre-COVID-19 and 44.4% during COVID-19, respectively). While the average victim age did not vary considerably between 2018/2019 (17.8 years) and 2020/2021 (17.5 years), the percentage of cases involving victims ages 13–15 years more than doubled from 5.3% of cases in 2018/2019 to 12% of cases in 2020/2021. The majority of teenage homicide cases were due to firearm injuries (91.7%, n = 211), but during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rise in violence involving sharp objects such as knives. The incidence of teenage homicide did not change considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic, although we did observe a trend toward younger males who were African American.