Cocks, JeannieSaayman, Gert2014-05-132014-05-132013Cocks, J & Saayman, G 2013, 'The incidence, pathology of trauma and victim profiles of homicidal deaths in Pretoria, South Africa (2007-2008)', Medicine, Science and the Law, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 61-66.0025-8024 (print)2042-1818 (online)10.1258/msl.2012.012027http://hdl.handle.net/2263/39784This study aimed to establish the incidence of homicide, associated pathology of trauma and victim profiles in cases admitted to or managed as homicidal deaths at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory (PMLL) over the period of 2007–2008. A total of 1088 cases were reviewed. Homicides accounted for 22.7% of all cases admitted to the PMLL. The majority of homicide victims were male individuals (87.0%). The most common cause of death was gunshot wounds (42.6%), followed by blunt force trauma (25.1%). Homicides are most likely to occur at the victim's place of residence (28.5%) and only 37.4% of victims survive long enough to receive hospital care. The results of this study seem to concur with international findings for the most part, with a few interesting deviations. Highlighting at-risk groups, as well as dangerous locations and incident times, creates the potential to decrease the occurrence of unnecessary deaths by generating an awareness of the trends.en© 2014 by The British Academy of Forensic SciencesIncidencePathologyTraumaVictim profilesHomicidal deathsPostprint Article