Murder or manslaughter involving guns

A gun was involved in 39 of the 615 homicides (i.e. murder, manslaughter or infanticide) recorded in England and Wales for 2009/10. Almost three-quarters of homicide victims were male (see www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0209.pdf).

Hearing that a friend or relative has been murdered is unexpected and deeply shocking (also see ‘Changing emotions and physical reactions’). Some people we talked to described what happened after a relative or friend had been shot. Shazia’s school friend was shot by her father because of “izzat” or honour. He believed that his daughter had brought shame and dishonour on the family because she was not at school when he thought she was supposed to be there. He also shot his other daughter and his wife and then killed himself. This all happened one day in 1993, when Shazia was 13 years old. Her teacher told Shazia and her two friends that they could leave school at lunch time. The girls’ parents did not know that the girls had a half-day holiday and thought they were at school all day. Instead of going straight home the three girls went to the park.

Dorrie was also shot. Patsy, his mother, felt numb when she heard the news, and Ian, one of her other sons, was stricken with grief.

In 2002 Erykah’s brother was shot eight times. He died at the scene. The killer has never been caught and the case is still open.

Erykah was at work when she got a phone call to say that her brother had been shot. She rushed to the scene but all she could see was a covered body on the ground. She couldn’t believe he was dead.