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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A nationwide study released Tuesday ranks Oklahoma sixth in the nation in the rate of women killed by men, the third year in a row Oklahoma has ranked in the top 10 states.
The study by the nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based Violence Policy Center said the homicide rate among women killed by men in Oklahoma was 1.65 per 100,000 women in 2013, tying the state with Tennessee.
The study, which relies on homicide data collected by the FBI, reinforces the findings of a separate report by the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board that concluded 90 victims, including men, women and children, died as a result of domestic violence in Oklahoma in 2013, said Jennifer McLaughlin, director of professional development for the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault.
"We do have a problem here," McLaughlin said. "We are in a crisis in our state."
The youngest homicide victim related to domestic violence in the state was 5 months old and the oldest was 80 years old. Twelve victims were under the age of 5, according to the state report.
The national study found that of 32 female homicide victims in Oklahoma, 26 were white, five were black and one was American Indian. Their average age was 38, and 90 percent of the victims were killed by someone they knew.
Of the victims who knew their offenders, 16 victims were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives or girlfriends of the offenders. Thirteen of the homicides involved arguments between the victim and the offender, according to the study.
For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 48 percent of female victims were shot and killed with guns. Of those, 69 percent were killed with handguns, the study found.
McLaughlin said the prevalence of domestic violence in Oklahoma means public services to counsel and shelter victims are in high demand.
"What we know saves lives are certified domestic violence agencies," she said. But McLaughlin said many domestic violence victims in the state are turned away when they seek help because there is no room in the shelter and no resources to help them.
"Our services are in such high demand," she said.
Among the report's recommendations for responding to domestic violence incidents and preventing homicides are expanding domestic violence and sexual assault programs to include dating violence and sexual violence prevention education in local schools and colleges.
Nationwide, 1,615 women were killed by men in single victim/single offender incidents in 2013, a rate of 1.09 per 100,000. South Carolina had the highest rate of women killed by men in the nation with 2.32 per 100,000 in 2013.
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