2023 Homicide rates set records in McKenzie County and remain high state-wide
Kristen Jones
Farmer Staff Writer
The State of North Dakota Office of Attorney General has released a Criminal Justice Statistics Special Report to address the homicide statistics within the state. In McKenzie County there have been more homicides in the last year than any other year in the last decade, with three separate instances.
The North Dakota Attorney General’s office states, “the term “homicide,” for purposes of this report, include…offenses of murder and non-negligent manslaughter. Homicide refers to the “willful killing of one human being by another.” It does not include attempts to kill, assaults to kill, suicides, accidental deaths, justifiable homicides or deaths caused by gross negligence.”
In 2023, there were 24 homicide deaths in the state of North Dakota. With the current state population estimate of 783,926, the resulting homicide rate is 3.1 per 100,000 people. State-wide, 2023 is the fourth highest year in both victim totals and homicides per 100,000 people in the last 20 years in North Dakota; only being surpassed by 2019, 2020, and 2022.
Over the past 20 years, the month of May has had the highest homicide rate, followed by the months November, March, then June.
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