As in previous years, the overwhelming majority of homicide victims in the District of Columbia between 1998 and 2000 were African-American. Of the 744 homicides that occurred during this three-year period, 685 – or more than 92 percent – involved AfricanAmerican victims. The number of Hispanic/Latino and white victims was identical: 24 in each group, or 3.2 percent of the homicide total. According to the 2000 Census, African-Americans account for 60 percent of the District’s population, meaning they are seriously over-represented among homicide victims. By contrast, whites account for 31 percent of DC’s population and persons of Hispanic or Latino origin represent nearly 8 percent.
