Homicide now leading cause of death in NC children

Homicide and suicide rates have more than doubled in the past 10 years.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A brand new report reveals some sobering new numbers on the top causes of child death in North Carolina.

Homicide and suicide rates have more than doubled in the past 10 years.

Homicide is now the leading cause of death of North Carolina kids ages 1 to 17.

It’s cases like the murder of 9-year-old Z’Yon Person in Durham in August 2019.

The boy was shot in the head from a passing car while riding with his aunt to get snow cones. And, since then, there’s been a pandemic surge of gun-buying in America — some legal, some not — many of the weapons not protected enough.

Suicide is now the fourth leading cause of death for children 1 to 17 in North Carolina. 56 lives were taken by suicide.

Just last month, a month devoted to raising awareness about child abuse prevention included heartbreaking cases of alleged deadly abuse — including a 14-month-old baby girl and her 3-month-old brother found unresponsive in a car in Rocky Mount.

The children died at the hospital with what police said were signs of abuse on their bodies.

North Carolina is one of only three states that does not participate in the National Child Death Case Reporting System. It has been said that if we did use that system, the state could gain an even better understanding of how why so many of its children are dying.