Homicide Among Miami's Ethnic Groups

Abstract

Previous homicide research has largely ignored the Latino population despite the large numbers of Latinos in most urban areas of the United States. This article examines the relationship between Latino victims and offenders, along with Anglos and Blacks, and other homicide event characteristics in Miami, Florida. Results show that incorporating a Latino category extends our understanding of urban homicides by acknowledging that killings among three ethnic groups vary by victim or offender ethnicity, in addition to circumstances such as type of weapon used in homicides. In sum, despite a constant flow of Latino immigrants and declining homicide rates throughout the 1980s, contemporary Miami is characterized by a high rate of Black homicides and, in particular, a high level of Black-on-Black killings.