Childhood homicide in Erie County, New York.

Childhood homicide during 1972 to 1984 constituted 7.6% of the total homicides in Erie County, NY, a relatively higher percentage than that for the United States as a whole. The age-specific rate for black children less than four years of age was 17.9 per 100,000, a rate higher than that for Northern Ireland. Areas in which childhood homicide occurred most frequently were characterized by poverty and unemployment. The most common cause of death was a blunt trauma. Most homicides occurred on a Saturday and during spring and fall. In most cases, the offender was the child's mother. Most homicides occurred in the bedroom.