Hutson H R, Anglin D, Pratts M J
Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center 90033.
N Engl J Med. 1994 Feb 3;330(5):324-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199402033300506.
Drive-by shootings by violent street gangs contribute to early morbidity and mortality among adolescents and children in Los Angeles. This study attempted to determine the frequency of this problem and the population at greatest risk. We also studied the most frequently injured areas of the body, the seasons in which the most shootings occurred, the most common sites for drive-by shootings, and the types of firearms used.
We retrospectively reviewed the files of the Gang Information Section of the Los Angeles Police Department to identify all drive-by shootings in Los Angeles in 1991 in which a child or adolescent under the age of 18 was shot at, injured, or killed.
A total of 677 adolescents and children were shot at, among whom 429 (63 percent) had gunshot wounds and 36 (5.3 percent) died from their injuries. Three hundred three of those with gunshot wounds (71 percent) were gang members. Arms and legs were the areas of the body most commonly injured. Handguns were the most frequently used type of firearm. All the homicide victims were African American or Hispanic, and 97 percent were boys. African American and Hispanic children and adolescents, especially male gang members, had a significantly higher risk than their Asian and white counterparts of injury and death from drive-by shootings in Los Angeles (P < 0.001).
Drive-by shootings involving adolescents and children are frequent in Los Angeles. Although Los Angeles may be an atypical case, understanding why violent street gangs form, preventing causes of violence, and limiting access to firearms are essential steps in preventing this serious problem.
暴力街头帮派的驾车枪击事件导致洛杉矶青少年和儿童过早出现发病和死亡情况。本研究试图确定这一问题的发生频率以及风险最高的人群。我们还研究了身体最常受伤的部位、枪击事件发生最多的季节、驾车枪击最常见的地点以及所用枪支的类型。
我们回顾性地查阅了洛杉矶警察局帮派信息科的档案，以确定1991年洛杉矶所有涉及向18岁以下儿童或青少年开枪、使其受伤或致死的驾车枪击事件。
共有677名青少年和儿童遭到枪击，其中429人（63%）有枪伤，36人（5.3%）因伤死亡。有枪伤的人中有303人（71%）是帮派成员。手臂和腿部是身体最常受伤的部位。手枪是最常使用的枪支类型。所有凶杀案受害者均为非裔美国人或西班牙裔，97%为男性。在洛杉矶，非裔美国人和西班牙裔儿童及青少年，尤其是男性帮派成员，因驾车枪击受伤和死亡的风险明显高于亚裔和白人同龄人（P < 0.001）。
在洛杉矶，涉及青少年和儿童的驾车枪击事件频发。尽管洛杉矶可能是个非典型案例，但了解暴力街头帮派形成的原因、预防暴力起因以及限制枪支获取是预防这一严重问题的关键步骤。
