South Carolina ranks 5th in the nation women murdered by men with handguns
Nationwide, 1686 women were murdered by men, according to the Violence Policy Center in Washington, DC. South Carolina ranked 5th in the nation for the 2nd year in a row with 46 females murdered by males in 2015. The homicide rate among females murdered by males in South Carolina was 1.83 per 100,000 in 2015. The age for homicides in which the age of the victim was reported (46 homicides), 8 victims (17 percent) were 65 years of age or older. The average age was 43 years old. Out of 46 female homicide victims, 23 were white, 22 were black, and one was Asian.
The most common weapons used in 53 percent of female homicide victims were handguns. 91 percent of female victims were murdered by someone they knew. Of the victims who knew their offenders, 72 percent were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. Four female victims were killed by strangers.
The study found that nationwide, over 90 percent of women killed by men were murdered by someone they knew.
