The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Statistics Unit conducted its first ever Homicide Study as part of a grant awarded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The project examines numerous aspects of offenses in Tennessee involving homicide circumstances and highlights their clearance rates over a three year period from 2005 to 2007.

Below are highlights from Homicide Study:

• 436 homicides were reported in 2005, 421 in 2006 and 394 in 2007
• An arrest was made within an average of 24 days after the homicide was committed in 2005, 20 days in 2006 and 12 days in 2007
• A handgun was the most frequently reported weapon used in homicides. Handguns were reported in 603 out of 1,251 homicide offenses during the study's three year period
• Victim to offender relationship was unknown almost 57 percent of the time
• Domestic violence related homicides made up 271 (21.7%) of the 1,251 total homicides during the study period. They were cleared nearly 92 percent of the time

Justifiable homicides were not included in this report. To view the study in its entirety, go to TBI's website at www.tbi.state.tn.us and clink on Crime Statistics. The study is listed under Specialized Reports.