1. Homicide Manner-of-Death Classification in Arrest-Related Death.
- Author
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Kroll MW, Wolf DA, Cobb JC, Greenberg TZ, Kunz SN, Brewer JE, and Williams HE
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Male, Adult, Middle Aged, Aged, Young Adult, Adolescent, United States, Child, Child, Preschool, Coroners and Medical Examiners, Infant, Aged, 80 and over, Sex Distribution, Conducted Energy Weapon Injuries, Age Distribution, Cause of Death, Infant, Newborn, Body Weight, Homicide statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
Abstract: Multiple studies have documented various factors that influence or determine forensic pathologist classification of manner of death. There do not appear to be any published studies on manner of death classification specifically regarding arrest-related deaths (ARDs). The goal of this study was to consider a large body of cases of nonfirearm ARDs to analyze the homicide classification with regards to numerous decedent and practitioner (medical examiner/coroner [ME/C]) variables. We analyzed 1145 US autopsy reports from the years 2006-2020, inclusive, and considered decedent variables of age, ethnicity, height, weight, body mass index, toxicology, and mention of a conducted electrical weapon and ME/C influence variables of gender, country region, and year. We found that the homicide classification likelihood increased by a factor of 1.04-1.05 per year, 1.34-1.37 for a female medical examiner, and 1.4-1.5 going from Southern states to Western states. There is an increasing trend for ME/C to label nonfirearm ARDs as homicides in the United States. The homicide classification is more common in Western states and less common in Southern states, and it was more common with a female ME/C., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: M.W.K. is a member of the Axon Corporate as well as Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. H.E.W. is a retired police chief. S.N.K. is a member of the AXON Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. The other authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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