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Drive–by Shootings by Violent Street Gangs in Los Angeles: A Five–year Review from 1989 to 1993
Author(s) -
Hutson H. Range,
Anglin Deirdre,
Eckstein Marc
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1996.tb03441.x
Subject(s) - shot (pellet) , homicide , poison control , injury prevention , suicide prevention , medicine , occupational safety and health , criminology , gun control , human factors and ergonomics , medical emergency , demography , psychology , law , sociology , political science , chemistry , organic chemistry , pathology
Objective: To determine trends in the numbers of drive–by shootings, individuals shot at, innocent bystanders shot at, and homicides by drive–by shootings in the city of Los Angeles from 1989 to 1993. Methods: A retrospective analysis of police records was performed for all gang–related drive–by shootings that occurred in the city of Los Angeles between 1989 and 1993. Results: From 1989 to 1993, there were 6,327 drive–by shootings, 9,053 people shot at, and 590 homicides. There was an increase in drive–by shootings, people shot at, and homicides between 1989 and 1991, followed by a decrease between 1991 and 1993. The case fatality ratio of individuals killed to individuals shot at increased from 1989 to 1993 (p = 0.0011). Forty–seven percent of the people shot at, and 23% of the homicide victims, were innocent bystanders. Conclusion: Drive–by shootings are a major public health problem in Los Angeles. While the rate of drive–by shootings decreased in 1992 and 1993, the proportion of fatal cases increased. To prevent drive–by shootings, the root causes of violent street gang formation must be addressed.