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Four of the 26 Mahoning County child deaths in 2011 were homicides
YOUNGSTOWN
Homicide was the cause of death of four of the 26 Mahoning County children who died in 2011.
From 2004 to 2011, 31 county children lost their lives to homicide, all involving firearms, according to the Mahoning County Child Fatality Review Board (MCCFRB), which called the deaths “entirely preventable.”
The four 2011 homicide victims were all black males, 15 to 17, and in most of the cases young black males were charged with or are suspects in the deaths, according to the Fatality Review Board’s (FRB) report.
“Whether or not the child was the intended victim, each of these homicides resulted from a shooting that was due to a personal vendetta or possible gang retaliation,” the report said.
“Because youth homicides has been a consistent problem over the years, the FRB felt it was not receiving the kind of attention it needs and it was time to refocus on the issue and what is happening to our youth, said Patricia Sweeney, commissioner of the Mahoning County District Board of Health.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2012 study, “Gang Homicides — Five U.S. Cities, 2002-2008,” gang homicides often involve young adults and adolescents, racial and ethnic minorities, and males. Also, said the study, gang homicides were more likely to occur on the streets and with firearms, suggesting that gang homicides are quick, retaliatory reactions to ongoing gang-related conflict.
As a result of homicide being a consistent cause of child deaths in Mahoning County, the FRB, in addition to supporting continued efforts to reduce the circumstances leading to natural causes of child deaths, recommended that the community develop programming that focuses on preventing gang involvement early in adolescence, and increases the ability of youth to resolve differences without the deadly consequences of firearm use.
The FRB felt the issue was not receiving the kind of attention it needs and it was time to refocus on the issue and what is happening to our youth, said Sweeney.
Some programs are already in place in Youngstown, where all of the 2011 child homicides occurred.
Last June, Youngstown initiated the Community Initiative Response to Violence (CIRV) strategy, the theme of which is to emphasize to the city’s youth and young adults that the violence must stop, said Police Chief Rod Foley.
The CIRV strategy not only focuses on identifying and arresting violent gangs (groups); it offers prevention programming that teaches teens and youth anti-gang strategies and conflict resolution.
High school students are identified as peace keepers in their schools to help promote the CIRV mission of stopping the violence. Also, violent teens and young adults are identified and offered the necessary life skills to break the ties of belonging to violent groups or gangs; and firearm interdiction among teens and young adults is emphasized.
“We have experienced decreases in violence among these violent groups since initiating the CIRV strategy,” Foley said.
Last week, the city said it will crack down on minors who violate curfew once the school year ends.
Mayor Charles Sammarone said police will focus on enforcing the curfew, which prohibits those under 18 from being on streets and sidewalks between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Established by the Ohio General Assembly in 2000, the Child Fatality Review program requires counties to identify potential risk factors that lead to the death of children from birth to 17 and make recommendations to prevent child deaths in the future.
According to the Mahoning County Child Fatality Review Board report, in 2011 natural deaths accounted for 58 percent of the deaths: Accidental (unintentional injuries), 26.9 percent; homicide, 15.4 percent, and the manner of one death, 3.8 percent, is undetermined.
Past CFRB recommendations to reduce child fatalities included promoting a safe sleeping environment for infants.
As a result, the county board of health used a $4,000 grant from the CJ Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to collaborate with the Mahoning County Women, Infant, and Children’s (WIC) Program and Akron Children’s Hospital to provide education to clients and staff to improve their understanding on SIDS risk reduction strategies; what constitutes a safe sleep environment, and how new mothers can provide such an environment for their infants.
The Mahoning County District Board of Health applied for the funding because of the high number of infant deaths resulting from accidental asphyxiation, suffocation, strangulation, or an undetermined manner of death in a sleep environment.