The National Violent Death Reporting System - Case abstraction

National Violent Death Reporting System
Coding Manual
Version 3

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2008

Produced by:
The CDC NVDRS Team
and
Jennifer C. Friday, Ph.D. and The Carter Consulting Company

The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) Coding Manual was developed through
an extensive consultation process. It is published by the National Center for Injury Prevention and
Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Julie L Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., Director
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Ileana Arias, Ph.D., Director
Division of Violence Prevention
W. Rodney Hammond, Ph.D., Director
Etiology and Surveillance Branch
Alex Crosby, M.D. Acting Chief
Use of trade names is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the
Department of Health and Human Services. This document and subsequent revisions can be found at
the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control web site:
http://www.cdc.gov/injury

Suggested citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Violent Death
Reporting System (NVDRS) Coding Manual Revised [Online] 2008 National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from:
URL: www.cdc.gov/injury

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National Violent Death Reporting System Coding Manual Team
The creation of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) coding manual has
been a collaborative process involving Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
the National Violent Injury Statistics System (NVISS) and contracted software developers.
CDC has taken the lead on developing the case definition, table structure, the documentbased architecture of the system, and several new data elements. NVISS supplied most of the
data elements and definitions based on an earlier pilot for the NVDRS. The NVISS Child
Fatality Module Team developed the Child Fatality data elements that are being piloted in
NVDRS. This revised version of the coding manual incorporates updates to the system and
input from states and others who have been using the system since its creation.
The NVDRS data elements are drawn in part from the NVISS, a pilot for the system. NVISS
was developed in 1999 with the financial support of six private foundations. Without the
vision and financial support of these foundations, the early work to develop the national
system would not have been possible. These foundations include the Atlantic Philanthropies,
the Center on Crime, Communities and Culture of the Open Society Institute, the Joyce
Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the David and Lucile
Packard Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This project is a reflection of the
expertise of all the developmental partners, participating state health departments, state and
local coroner/medical examiner offices and state and local law enforcement agencies.

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Table of Contents
Topic
Introduction
Definitions
Entering a Case/Data Structure
Data Elements Key
Incident Variables
Document Variables
Person’s Identity
Death Certificate Main Elements
Abstractor-Assigned Type of Death
Coroner/Medical Examiner Main Elements
Suicide or Undetermined Circumstances
Homicide Circumstances
Unintentional Firearm Injury Circumstances
Police Report Main Elements
Supplementary Homicide Report
Hospital Information
Child Fatality Review
Victim-Suspect Relationship
Abstractor-Assigned Weapon Type
Weapon Detail
Weapon Trace Information
Person-Weapon Relationship
Validation Rules
Index of Variable Labels

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Introduction
Purpose of the Coding Manual
The NVDRS Coding Manual is a reference document to be used by state health departments
for defining cases, entering data, and checking data once they are entered. It contains
information about individual variables and the way the data are structured. The Coding
Manual is intended to be used in conjunction with the materials provided at the coding
training and the NVDRS Software Manual. It should be kept at hand when doing data entry
or checking, both in the office and in the field.
This manual is stored in the software as an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf ) file and is available for
download at www.cdc.gov/ncipc/profiles/nvdrs/publications.htm. Other material related to
setting up a state violent death reporting system can be found in the NVDRS Implementation
Manual.
Background on NVDRS
Violence against others or oneself is a major public health problem in the United States,
claiming 50,000 lives each year. It is a particular problem for the young: homicide was the
second and suicide was the third leading cause of death for Americans 1 to 34 years of age in
2004.
Given the importance of the problem, it is noteworthy that prior to the development of
NVDRS there was no national surveillance system for fatalities due to violence in the United
States. In contrast, the federal government has supported extensive data collection efforts for
the past three decades to record information about other leading causes of death. For
example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recorded the critical
details of fatal motor vehicle crashes, which result in more than 40,000 deaths among U.S.
residents annually. That system, called the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), has
existed since 1975. The result of that investment has been a better understanding of the risk
factors for motor vehicle deaths — information that has helped to target safety improvements
that have led to a significant decline in motor vehicle fatalities since the 1970s.
Public health leaders and others are aware of the long-standing gap in information about
violence, and have been pressing the need for a national surveillance system for violent
deaths since 1989. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine recommended that CDC develop a fatal
intentional injury surveillance system modeled after FARS. That same year, six private
foundations pooled their funds to demonstrate that data collection about violent deaths was
feasible and useful. They supported the National Violent Injury Statistics System (NVISS).
NVISS was administered by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center and included 12
participating universities, health departments, and medical centers.
In 2000, dozens of medical associations, suicide prevention groups, child protection
advocates, and family violence prevention organizations joined a coalition whose purpose
was to secure federal funding to extend NVISS-like surveillance nationwide. Congress
approved $1.5 million to start the new system, called the National Violent Death Reporting
System (NVDRS), in fiscal year 2002. The first cooperative agreements were established
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with six state health departments in September 2002, including: Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia. Funding for additional states was made
available in fiscal year 2003 and another seven states implemented NVDRS (Alaska,
Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin). Further
funding became available in 2004, and California, Kentucky, New Mexico, and Utah began
data collection in 2005.
Vision
Assist in the prevention of violent deaths in the U.S. through the provision of systematically
and routinely collected, accurate, timely, and comprehensive data for prevention program
development.
Goals
1. Collect and analyze timely, high-quality data for monitoring the magnitude and
characteristics of violent deaths at the national, state, and local levels.
2. Ensure that violent death data are routinely and expeditiously disseminated to public
health officials, law enforcement officials, policy makers and the public, in
accordance with the CDC data re-release plan.
3. Track and facilitate the use of NVDRS data for researching, developing,
implementing and evaluating strategies, programs and policies designed to prevent
violent deaths and injuries at the national, state and local levels.
4. Build and strengthen partnerships with organizations and communities at the national,
state, and local levels to ensure that data collected are used to prevent violent deaths
and injuries.
5. Identify creative strategies for expanding and sustaining NVDRS in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia (DC) and U.S. territories.
NVDRS Methodology
NVDRS is a population based active surveillance system that provides a census of violent
deaths that occur among both residents and nonresidents of funded U.S. states. There is no
sampling involved and thus all violent deaths are included. The system defines a death due
to violence as “a death resulting from the intentional use of physical force or power against
oneself, another person, or against a group or community,” which is the World Health
Organization (WHO) definition of violence. The case definition includes suicides, homicides,
deaths from legal intervention (a subtype of homicide), deaths from undetermined intent, and
unintentional firearm fatalities. Deaths of undetermined intent are included because this
category includes deaths with some evidence of intent, but without enough to definitively
classify the death as purposeful. Unintentional firearm injury deaths, otherwise known as
accidental, are included because the category is likely to include some deaths that are in fact
intentional or of undetermined intent. Legal executions, which are considered part of deaths

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from legal intervention, are excluded from NVDRS as they are beyond the scope of public
health. Deaths due to acts of war are also excluded. The system is coordinated and funded at
the federal level and depends on separate data collection efforts in each funded state managed
by the state health departments.
Unlike most public health surveillance systems that are victim-based, the NVDRS is
incident-based and reports all victims and alleged perpetrators (suspects) associated with a
given incident in one record. Decisions about whether two or more deaths belong to the same
incident are determined by the timing of the injuries, rather than the timing of the deaths, and
are based on a 24 hour rule and source documents indicating a clear link between the deaths.
Examples of a violent death incident are:
 One isolated violent death
 Two or more homicides, including legal interventions, when the deaths involve at least
one person who is a suspect or victim in the first death and a suspect or victim in the
second death and the fatal injuries are inflicted less than 24 hours apart
 Two or more suicides or undetermined manner deaths, when there is some evidence that
the second or subsequent death was planned to coincide with or follow the preceding
death, and the fatal injuries are inflicted less than 24 hours apart
Each incident record includes information about victims, suspects, their relationships, and
any weapon(s) involved in the incident. To fully characterize the incidents, states collect
information about each incident from numerous data sources.
The primary sources:
 Death Certificates (DC)
 Coroner/Medical examiner (CME) records
 Police Records (PR)
 Data abstractor input
Secondary or optional sources:
 Child Fatality Review Team data (CFR)
 Crime Lab Data
 Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR)
 Hospital data
 Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) trace information on firearms
Data collection is done by either abstraction from the records maintained by the primary
sources at their offices or by transfer of data from the primary sources to the health
department’s NVDRS office. Data may be manually entered into the software or
electronically imported. Data collection is staged so that basic demographic information is
available for early analyses and more detailed information about potential causal factors can
be analyzed later. Death certificates often provide the earliest information in most states, but
other states may identify incidents through the coroner/medical examiner or law enforcement
offices. Regardless of the source of an identified incident, information is typically available

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to the health department and entered into the system within six months. Police and CME data
are expected to be available within 18 months of the occurrence of the death.
The NVDRS database contains about 700 data elements. For deceased persons (i.e., deceased
victims and suspects), NVDRS collects demographic data, as well as information on other
personal characteristics such as marital and pregnancy status. It also collects data on the
injury event (e.g., date, time, and place of injury), the occurrence of the death (e.g., time,
place and cause of death), as well as other related factors such as toxicology findings.
NVDRS makes a unique contribution in that it captures information on circumstances for
suicide and undetermined deaths, homicides and unintentional firearm injury. The
circumstances on suicide and undetermined death relate to mental health history and status,
whether the person disclosed intent to die by suicide and precipitating factors. For homicide,
circumstance information is captured on felony-related and non-felony related circumstances.
Circumstance variables for unintentional firearm deaths are related to the context and specific
use of the firearms. Details are collected on relationships between victims and suspects, as
well as whether there was a history of abuse or whether the suspect was a caregiver of the
victim. The system also collects data on mechanisms leading to injury and specifically
collects more information on firearms and poisonings, such as the type of firearm or
substance involved. The data are sorted by source document so the source of each entry can
be determined.
The data are stored in a secure database. Personally identifying variables are not forwarded to
the national database. A list of these personally identifying variables, which include data
such as names, social security numbers, street addresses of injury and residence, full birth
date, and source document record numbers, is available from CDC on request. The software
used to enter and transmit the data is described in a separate NVDRS Software Manual.
Deaths occurring in 2003 constitute the first year of data for NVDRS.
Over time, additional data sources that are particularly useful for specific kinds of death may
be added to the system. In the first year of NVDRS, for example, some of the funded state
health departments tested the availability and utility of data from child fatality review teams,
using a module specially designed to take advantage of the detailed information available
from that source. Other modules may be developed in the future.

Coding guidelines
Coding guidelines and support are provided in various ways. Coding training is required for
new states joining NVDRS and a coding video is provided for self-study at the state level.
Ongoing coding support is provided through an email helpdesk, monthly conference calls
with all states, and regular conference calls with individual states. A coding manual is also
available and several software features enhance coding reliability, including inbuilt
validation rules and a hover-over help feature.
Details about procedures and coding can be found in the NVDRS Coding Manual available
on the NCIPC website, www.cdc.gov/ncipc/profiles/nvdrs/publications.htm.

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Definitions
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed these case definitions for
NVDRS. States should collect information about all cases that meet these definitions. They
may also, however, develop their own, different state definitions. If their definitions are
broader than those shown here, states may also enter cases that meet only their case
definitions into their database. Such cases should be identified as “not an NVDRS case” in
the Case Status field. Reports generated by CDC will include only those cases that meet the
CDC definitions. States should cite which definition they are using, state or federal, when
they cite their own data.
I. Violent Death
A. Conceptual definition
A death that results from the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or
actual, against oneself, another person, or a group or community. The person using the
force or power need only have intended to use force or power; they need not have
intended to produce the consequence that actually occurred. “Physical force” should be
interpreted broadly to include the use of poisons or drugs. The word “power” includes acts
of neglect or omission by one person who has control over another.
In addition, NVDRS captures unintentional firearm deaths. Such deaths are defined
in Section IV.D, below.
B. Operational definition to be used in case ascertainment
1
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The underlying cause of death must be coded on the death certificate as one of
the causes listed on Table 1, and
The death of a fetus prior to birth that is caused by violence is not included in
the case definition.

II. Resident and Occurrent Violent Deaths
A. U.S. resident violent death. The decedent was an official resident of the United States,
including its territories, or a resident of a Native American reservation at the time of
injury, according to the death certificate.
B. State resident violent death. The decedent was an official resident of the state (or
territory) including those portions of a Native American reservation within the state at the
time of injury, according to the death certificate.
C. U.S. occurrent violent death. The initial injury must have occurred within the United
States, including its territories, or on a Native American reservation.
D. State occurrent violent death. The initial injury must have occurred within the state or on
those portions of the Native American reservations within the state.

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Note: The collection of all resident violent deaths is essential for calculating populationbased rates. The collection of all occurrent fatal injuries is essential for designing and
evaluating prevention efforts focused on specific communities. Usually the state of residence
and state of occurrence of a fatal injury will be the same, but every state will have some
exceptions. States are expected to collect violent deaths among their residents, wherever they
occur, and fatal violent injuries occurring within their borders irrespective of residence. If the
states of residence and injury occurrence are both NVDRS states, the state of injury
occurrence is responsible for collecting the information.
III.Preliminary Versus Confirmed Violent Death
A. Preliminary violent death
1. The underlying cause of death has not yet been officially coded using the
International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems,
10th Revision (ICD-10); and
2. Review of the uncoded death certificate or official police or coroner/ medical
examiner (CME) records indicate that the death is likely to be ultimately coded as
one of the ICD codes included in the case definition above.
B. Confirmed violent death
The underlying cause of death has been officially coded using ICD-10 as one of the codes
included in the case definition above.
IV. NVDRS Incident Death Types (Abstractor Assigned Manner of Death)
For public health purposes, violent deaths are assigned to types according to the ICD
code assigned to the underlying cause of death indicated on the death certificate by the
CME. However, CMEs may not use the same definitions in all states. Therefore, NVDRS
will also try to achieve some standardization of death type through these definitions.
Some of the NVDRS incident types are not included as options on a standard death
certificate. The actual death certificate manner is captured in the death certificate
variables, however, the NVDRS definition may be slightly different (e.g., a person dying
after being shot by a police officer in the line of duty may be called a ‘homicide’ on the
death certificate but will be called a ‘legal intervention’ death in NVDRS). Similarly, a
self-inflicted firearm death ruled ‘accidental’ on a death certificate will be included as an
‘unintentional firearm – self inflicted’ death in NVDRS. NVDRS sites should use these
definitions to identify preliminary cases.
A. Suicide
A death resulting from the intentional use of force against oneself. A preponderance of
evidence should indicate that the use of force was intentional.
Specific scenarios that should be classified as suicide:
 A person engaged in a suicidal act, then changed his mind, but still died as a result of

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




the act
A person intended only to injure rather than kill himself (e.g., a man shot himself in
the leg with intent to injure but severed the femoral artery and died)
Assisted suicide involving passive assistance to the decedent (e.g., supplying only
means or information needed to complete the act)
Intentional, self-inflicted deaths committed while under the influence of a mindaltering drug taken voluntarily
Intentional, self-inflicted deaths committed while under the influence of a mental
illness

Specific scenarios that should not be classified as suicide: (The preferred NVDRS category is
shown in parentheses.)
 The physical consequences of chronic substance abuse, including alcohol or drugs
(natural death)
 Acute substance abuse including alcohol or drugs with less than a
preponderance of evidence of intent to use the substance(s) against oneself
(undetermined or unintentional injury death)
 Death as a result of autoerotic behavior, e.g., self-strangulation during sexual activity
(unintentional injury death)
B. Homicide
Homicide is defined as a death resulting from the intentional use of force or power,
threatened or actual, against another person, group, or community. A preponderance of
evidence must indicate that the use of force was intentional. Such deaths resulting from legal
intervention are included in a separate category below. Two special scenarios the National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) regards as homicides are included in the NVDRS
definition: (1) arson with no intent to injure a person, and (2) a stabbing with intent
unspecified.
Specific scenarios that should be classified as homicide:
 Deaths when the suspect intended to only injure rather than kill the victim
 Deaths resulting from heart attacks induced when someone uses force or power
against the decedent
 A death resulting from a weapon that discharges unintentionally while being used to
control or frighten the victim — Deaths that result when a person kills an attacker in selfdefense
 Deaths labeled “justifiable homicides” where the person committing the homicide
was not a police officer
 Deaths that result from a variation of Russian roulette where one person aims a
partially loaded gun at another person and pulls the trigger knowing that there was at
least some chance that the gun would fire
 Death attributed to “child abuse” without an intent being specified
 Death of a child after birth that results from a direct injury due to violence sustained
prior to birth

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

Death that results from an intentional act of neglect or omission by one person against
another

Specific scenarios that should not be classified as homicide: (The preferred NVDRS
category is shown in parentheses.)
 “Vehicular homicide” without a preponderance of evidence of intent to use force
against another (unintentional injury)
 Hunting accident with a gun (unintentional firearm injury)
 Accidental deaths at shooting ranges (unintentional firearm injury)
 A youth kills someone by playing with a gun he believes is unloaded (unintentional
firearm injury)
 Deaths that take place in combat in declared or undeclared wars (operation of war)
 Death of a child after birth that results indirectly from violence sustained by its mother
before its birth, e.g., a death from prematurity following premature labor brought on
by violence (coded as “condition originating in the perinatal period”)
 Accidental poisoning deaths due to illegal or prescription drug overdose, even when
the person who provided those drugs was charged with homicide (unintentional deaths
not involving firearms are outside the scope of NVDRS; a death of this type might be
within the scope of “undetermined manner of death,” below, if it is impossible to
determine whether the death was intentional or unintentional)
C. Undetermined manner of death
A death resulting from the use of force or power against oneself or another person for which
the evidence indicating one manner of death is no more compelling than the evidence
indicating another manner of death.
Specific scenarios that should be classified as undetermined manner of death:
 Coroner or medical examiner ruling that states: “accident or suicide,” “accident or
homicide,” “undetermined,” “open verdict,” or “jumped or fell”
 Self-inflicted injuries when the records give no evidence or opinions in favor of either
unintentional or intentional injury
D. Unintentional firearm injury death
A death resulting from a penetrating injury or gunshot wound from a weapon that uses a
powder charge to fire a projectile when there was a preponderance of evidence that the
shooting was not intentionally directed at the victim.
Specific scenarios that should be classified as unintentional firearm deaths:
 Celebratory firing that was not intended to frighten, control, or harm anyone
 A person shoots himself when using a gun to frighten, control, or harm another
person
 A child less than the age of 6 shoots himself or another person
 A soldier who is shot during field exercises in peacetime
 A person mistakenly thinks a gun is unloaded and shoots himself or another person while
fooling around with it
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

A child who dies after birth from an unintentional firearm injury that is sustained prior to
birth, i.e., in utero

Specific scenarios that should not be classified as unintentional firearm deaths: (The
preferred NVDRS category is shown in parentheses.)
 A person unintentionally shoots someone while defending himself against an aggressor
(homicide)
 A person unintentionally shoots another person while using a gun to commit a crime
(homicide)
 Firearm injuries caused by unintentionally striking a person with the firearm, e.g.,
by dropping it on someone’s head, rather than with a projectile fired from the
firearm (potential homicide or non-NVDRS accident)
 Unintentional injuries from non-powder guns such as BB, pellet, and other
compressed air or gas-powered guns (potential homicide or suicide)
E. Legal intervention death
A death when the decedent was killed by a police officer or other peace officer (persons
with specified legal authority to use deadly force), including military police, acting in the
line of duty.
Specific scenarios that should be classified as legal interventions:
 “Justifiable” and “criminal” homicides meeting the above definition
Specific scenarios that should not be included in the legal intervention category in NVDRS:
 Legal executions
F. Terrorism-related death
Terrorism deaths are homicides or suicides that result from events that are labeled by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as acts of terrorism. Terrorism is a mechanism of
death rather than a manner of death. The manner of such death is either homicide or
suicide.
V. Violent Death Incident
Unlike most public health surveillance systems that are victim-based, the NVDRS is
incident-based and reports all victims and suspects associated with a given incident in one
record. A violent death incident can be made up of any of the following:
1 One isolated violent death
2. Two or more homicides, including legal interventions, when:
a. the deaths involve at least one person who is a suspect or victim in the first death and a
suspect or victim in the second death, and
b. the fatal injuries are inflicted less than 24 hours apart
3. Two or more suicides or undetermined manner deaths, when:

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a. there is some evidence that the second or subsequent death was planned to coincide
with or follow the preceding death, and
b. the fatal injuries are inflicted less than 24 hours apart
4. One or more homicides or unintentional firearm deaths combined with one or more
suicides when:
a. the suspect in the first death is the person who commits suicide, and
b. the fatal injuries are inflicted less than 24 hours apart
5. Two or more unintentional firearm deaths when:
a. the same firearm inflicts two or more fatal injuries, and
b. the fatal injuries are inflicted by one shot or burst of shots
Examples of single incidents that involve more than one death:
 Homicides: A member of Gang A kills a member of Gang B, and Gang B
reciprocates, all during a street brawl. (The members of Gang A are suspects in the
first killing, and one of them becomes the victim in the second.)
 Homicides: A man kills his family and then drives to work to kill his supervisor.
(The suspect in the first homicide is also the suspect in the second homicide.)
 Homicide and legal intervention: Police kill a suspect as he flees the scene of a
homicide. (The first suspect is the victim in the second death.)
 Suicides: An elderly couple voluntarily commit suicide together. (The deaths were
planned to coincide.) ~ Homicide-suicide: A man kills his wife at home and then
kills himself 12 hours later when pulled over by the police.
 Unintentional firearm-suicide: A boy unintentionally kills his father while hunting
and shoots himself within 24 hours out of guilt.
Examples of separate incidents:
 Homicides: A sniper kills a person and two days later returns to the same location
and kills another person (more than 24 hours apart).
 Suicides: Two teenagers agree to commit suicide on the same day. One kills himself
a week after the first victim dies (more than 24 hours apart).
 Homicide-suicide: A woman learns that her son has murdered her husband. She
kills herself from grief. (The suspect in the first death is not the person who
commits suicide.)
Note: Decisions about whether two or more deaths belong to the same incident should
be based on the timing of the injuries, rather than the timing of the deaths and the
establishment of a clear link between victims.
VI. Resident and Occurrent Violent Death Incidents
A. Resident incident. The majority of the deaths must be resident violent deaths. If no
jurisdiction accounts for the majority of victims, the incident would be a resident incident
for the jurisdiction of residence of the first victim.
B. Occurrent incident. The majority of fatal injuries must be occurrent fatal injuries. If no
jurisdiction accounts for the majority of fatal injuries, the incident would be an occurrent
incident for the place of injury of the first victim.

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Note: The responsibility for abstracting a violent death falls on the state where the injury
occurred irrespective of where the victim was a resident or died. NVDRS states should
cooperate whenever possible by sending records to the state with responsibility for
abstraction when incidents cross state lines. However, NVDRS states should also try to
abstract the complete incident if one of their own residents dies violently in a state that is
not currently part of NVDRS.
VII. Data Year
A. Year of a violent death.
The year of death is the calendar year in which the victim died. So, for example, if a victim
was injured at the end of December 2002, but died in early January 2003, the death would be
reported in the 2003 data year. Although the NVDRS software allows for specific month or
date of death to be entered as “Unknown,” the year of death must be filled in. In the case of a
true unknown year of death (as in skeletal remains with unknown year of death, or an
unattended death that may have occurred either shortly before or shortly after January 1),
enter the year in which the body was found as the year of death.
B. Year of a violent death for multiple death incidents.
The year of a violent death incident is the first year in which any of the victims in the
incident died. For example, the only exception to this rule occurs when any of the deaths
occurred in a year prior to 2003, the first year of NVDRS. In that case, place the incident in
the first year of death after 2002. In other words, incidents with deaths in 2002 and 2003
should be placed in 2003. Incidents with deaths in 2002 and 2004 should be placed in 2004.
Incident with deaths in 2003 and 2004 should be placed in 2003.
VIII.Violent Death Rate per Year
The violent death rate per year is the number of resident violent deaths recorded during the
calendar year divided by the resident population of the jurisdiction, as defined in official U.S.
Census figures, and multiplied by 100,000 for a rate per 100,000 population. Preliminary
rates include both preliminary and confirmed deaths. Confirmed rates include only confirmed
deaths. Intercensal state population estimates may be used for intercensal year rates when
official U.S. Census figures are not available. Whether U.S. Census or state estimates are
used, the state should specify the source of the population estimate.

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Table 1: ICD-10 External Causes of Death Codes for Manners of Death Meeting the
NVDRS Case Definition
ICD-10 Codes
Manner of Death
Intentional self harm (suicide)
Assault (homicide)
Event of undetermined intent
Unintentional exposure to inanimate
mechanical forces (firearms)
Legal intervention excluding executions,
Y35.5
Terrorism

Death <1 year
after the injury
X60–X84
X85–X99, Y00–
Y09
Y10–Y34
W32–W34
Y35.0–Y35.4
Y35.6–Y35.7
U01, U03

Death >1 year
after the injury
Y87.0
Y87.1
Y87.2, Y89.9
Y86 determined to
be due to firearms
Y89.0
U02

End Notes
Use of the term “homicide” can be a point of confusion in a violent death reporting system.
The term literally means the killing of one person by another, whether intentionally or
unintentionally. Law enforcement and many CMEs adhere to this broader definition of
homicide and therefore refer to unintentional car crash deaths as “vehicular homicides,” and
the unintentional death of a person that results from another’s negligence as “negligent
homicides.” Examples of the latter category are unintentional shootings of one person by
another (as in two 12-year-old boys playing with a gun they believe is unloaded) and
negligent acts by a caregiver of a dependent person (as in a toddler who is left unattended in
the bathtub briefly while its mother answers the phone). The ICD system, on the other hand,
uses the term homicide in its narrower sense to indicate the intentional or assault-related
killing of one person by another. The NVDRS also uses this narrower definition of homicide.
The disjuncture between the law enforcement and public health uses of the term homicide
can lead to coding problems. The ICD system is the basis for coding underlying cause of
death on the death certificate. However, the code is chosen based on the information supplied
by the CME on the death certificate. So, for example, in the case of the 12-year-old boys
playing with the gun they mistakenly believed was unloaded, the CME is likely to code the
manner of death as “homicide” and supply only medical information in the text fields for
underlying cause of death. The information regarding the unintentional nature of the shooting
will be available only in the narrative report, not on the death certificate itself. The Vital
Statistics coder will likely code the case in the homicide range, not the unintentional range,
because the information that would place it in the unintentional range according to ICD
protocols is not available on the death certificate. This confusion in terms is one reason that
the NVDRS has chosen to include the abstractor-assigned “Type of Death” code in the
reporting system. This code applies a uniform protocol to categorizing violence-related
homicides, unintentional deaths, suicides, and deaths of unknown intent.

12

One useful piece of information when attempting to distinguish a violence-related
homicide from a negligent homicide is to check how the case was reported on the
Supplementary Homicide Report form. Violence-related homicides are reported as “1A –
Murder/non-negligent manslaughter” offenses, while unintentional homicides (e.g.,
“accidental” shooting while hunting, children playing with a gun) are coded as “1B –
Negligent manslaughter” offenses. See: Barber C, Hochstadt J, Hemenway D, Azrael D.
Underestimates of unintentional firearm fatalities: Comparing Supplementary Homicide
Report data with the National Vital Statistics System. Injury Prevention 2002;8:252–6.

13

Entering a Case/Data Structure
An incident involving one or more violent deaths is the unit of surveillance in NVDRS. To
understand how all the variables fit together in one incident, it may be helpful to think of
them in a hierarchy with four levels:





The first, or incident level, is information about the incident to be described,
such as how many people were involved and a narrative of the event.
The second, or component level, divides the incident into its components:
the documents, people, relationships, and weapons involved.
The third, or data-source level, divides each component into the sources
contributing to it (e.g., information about a person from the death certificate,
from the police, from the CME).
The fourth, or additional-element level, divides information from a given
source into logical subsets on separate screens when all the elements cannot
fit on one screen.

In outline form, this hierarchy looks like the following:
I. Incident
A. Incident summary (Site ID, case status, number of persons/documents/weapons and
incident narratives.
B. Documents used
C. Person(s), (victims, suspects, or both) involved
1. Multi-sourced identity or demographic
2. Death certificate (DC)
a. Main elements
b. All listed causes of death (“multiple causes/conditions”)
3. Coroner/Medical Examiner (CME)
a. Main elements
b. Circumstances
4. Police Reports (PR)
a. Main elements
b. Circumstances
5. Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR)
6. Hospital Information (HOSP)
7. Child Fatality Review (CFR)
a. Main elements
b. Household and Committee Information
c. Circumstances
8. Abstractor-completed (death type – manner)
D. Victim-suspect relationships
1. Coroner/Medical Examiner
2. Police
3. Supplementary Homicide Report

15

E. Weapon(s) involved
1. Abstractor (weapon types)
2. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) trace information
3. Coroner/Medical Examiner
4. Police
5. Crime lab
F. Person-weapon relationships
1. ATF-Firearm trace information
2. Coroner/Medical Examiner
3. Police
4. Supplementary Homicide Report
Note: Not every part of the outline can be completed for every incident. If the incident is an
isolated suicide, there will be no victim-suspect relationship. If one of the persons involved is
a suspect who did not die in the incident, there will be no death certificate information for
that person. If the weapon was not a firearm, there can be no information from ATF, and
there will be no crime lab information. The structure is designed to handle all types of violent
deaths. It allows the use of data from the four primary data sources (death certificate, police,
CME, and crime lab) and three additional ones (hospitals, supplementary homicide reports,
and child fatality review teams), and provides places for input from the abstractor.
Variable or Data Element Priority
Given all the data entry fields available to handle various scenarios, and that there is a
place to put each data item from each data source, the number of data entry locations is
large, approximately 700. Not all the variables are required. For instance, data collection
from Child Fatality Reviews (CFR) is optional (unless a state is being funded to pilot test
the CFR module). Collecting tracking information about the source documents is also
optional.
Each data element falls into one of three priorities: Early Required (ER), Late Required
(LR), or Optional (O). These are sometimes referred to as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd priority,
respectively. All states should complete the required variables. Early required variables are
primarily from the death certificate and should be completed within six months of the date of
death. Late required variables are primarily from the other sources and should be completed
within eighteen months of the date of death. Optional variables can be completed at any point
prior to the close of the data year. The priority for each data element is shown in the body of
the Coding Manual. The priority of an element is reflected in the color used for the variable
label in the data entry screens. Note that a given variable may have different priorities
depending on the source from which it is derived. For example, race is an early required (first
priority) variable obtained from the death certificate, but late required (second priority) when
obtained from other data sources, which tend to be available later than the death certificate.
The Data Source Concept
One strength of NVDRS is its use of multiple, complementary data sources. Given that data
would be obtained from multiple sources, each with its own documents, and that data might
16

be entered from one source about an incident before the information is available from a
second source, NVDRS was designed to keep the data sorted by source. The idea is that
NVDRS staff can capture the information available in a given location for a set of incidents
and move on to another office, where the information available there is added to those
incidents. This process can be repeated until the incidents are complete.
The table below shows the sources from which data on different topics are to be recorded.
Data Topic
Case status
Number of persons and
weapons
Incident narrative
Document tracking
Person type
(victim/suspect)
Name, address
Age/sex/race/ethnicity
When and where
(injury/death)
Cause of death ICD
code(s)
Manner of death
Additional person
descriptors
Alcohol and drug tests
Wounds
Associated circumstances
Victim-suspect
relationship
History of victim abuse
Suspect was victim
caretaker
Weapon type
Firearm trace
Firearm descriptors
Poison details
Weapon used by/on
person
Person purchasing firearm

DC

CME

PR

SHR

CFR

LAB

ATF

USER
x
x

x

x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x

x

x

x

x
x

x
x

x

x

x

x

x

x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x

x
x

x

x
x

DC=Death Certificate; CME=Coroner/Medical Examiner; PR=Police Report;
SHR=Supplementary Homicide Report; CFR=Child Fatality Review; Lab=Crime Lab;
ATF=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

17

The hospital source was left out of the preceding table to save space. It only captures
whether inpatient or Emergency Department (ED) care occurred and what International
Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes were assigned. Tabs in the application mark the
places where data from each source document can be entered.
In addition to allowing independent entry of each source, this approach allows for later
review of what each source contributed and for identifying missing sources. It increases the
validity of comparisons between years and states by allowing comparisons of data from the
same sources. It also allows the generation of reports back to the sources showing exactly
what their records contained. Eventually, once data source documents are standardized
nationally, it can also facilitate direct importation of data.
Primacy Among Data Sources
Data sources may not always agree about every fact of a given incident. A way to identify
what is likely the best available information among different sources is needed. Therefore,
the data sources have been ranked in terms of their likely accuracy for each data element.
st
The term used for the ranking is “primacy.” The source with 1 primacy is considered most
reliable for a given variable and will be the source of choice. Lower primacy sources are the
st
most reliable after 1 primacy and can be used when a higher-primacy source is not
available. For example, sex of the victim is taken first from the death certificate, second from
the CME report, and finally from police records.
States will retain all the data and can determine their own primacy in their state-specific
analysis files. States may even choose to use different primacy rankings for different parts of
the state or different time periods. However, for nationwide comparisons, the CDC will use
the primacy ranking built into the software. The primacy of each source for each variable to
which it applies is shown in the “Primacy” column of the coding manual’s variable section.
When different sources have complete but discordant data, the simplest approach is to use
primacy. This is probably adequate for surveillance purposes. For research purposes,
however, states may elect to conduct a case-by-case review to identify the preferred source
for each discordant field.
Auto Filling Across Data Sources
Because much of the information collected will be the same in multiple data sources for one
incident, the software allows the users to automatically fill blank fields across sources for a
given data element. To avoid using automatically-filled data when the actual data are missing
for a given source, “auto filled” data has to be confirmed or accepted by the data-entry
person. Auto filled data can also be overwritten by the actual data when the two sources
differ.
Additional Features
Data are coded whenever possible to avoid problems with variant spellings. A number of
18

range and logic edits exist that can be applied to the case upon completion. Users can
generate a number of reports about the data to search for specific incidents or people or to
get a preliminary look at the aggregate data.
Unknown and Inapplicable Information
Throughout the manual a standard approach is used to code ‘Unknown’. For numerical
fields, the numbers ‘9’, ‘99’, ‘999’, etc. are mostly used to indicate ‘Unknown’. Similarly,
the numbers ‘8’, ‘88’, ‘888’, etc. are usually used for ‘Not applicable’. It is suggested that
‘Unk’ be entered for ‘Unknown’ in any relevant text field.

Steps in Starting an Incident
Step 1: Decide what constitutes an “incident.”
See the definition of an incident in the definitions section of this coding manual. This is
mostly a process of deciding whether deaths that are connected in some way belong in the
same incident or different ones.
Step 2: Open a new incident in the software. (Refer to the Software Manual for instructions.)
Step 3: Decide how many individuals should be included in the incident and enter that
number on the first screen.
The software initially asks how many people are to be covered in the incident. People in the
incident may be fatally injured victims, suspects in their deaths, or people who are both
victims and suspects. Identifying the victims in the incident is not difficult once you have
determined how to define the incident. Identifying how many suspects to include is more
difficult. There are no suspects for isolated suicides and self-inflicted unintentional firearm
deaths. For homicides, include as suspects people who are listed by the police or the CME as
suspects. For unintentional firearm deaths that are not self-inflicted, include the person who
fired the weapon as a suspect and anyone else listed by the police as a suspect. A person does
not have to be arrested or identified to be listed as a suspect. As long as the number of
persons involved in the death is known, (e.g., police report that the victim was stabbed by
two men), list each as a suspect, even if nothing further is known about him. See the Person
Type variable on the Identity panel in the coding manual for further details and examples.
Step 4: Decide how many weapons to include in the incident and enter that number.
The concept of a weapon in NVDRS combines the concepts of objects used to injure and
actions that lead to injury. Weapons can therefore range from instruments commonly
thought of as weapons, such as a gun or bayonet, to actions such as setting fires, pushing
someone over a cliff, or shaking (as in shaken baby syndrome). Additional descriptive data
elements exist only for firearms and poisons.
When there are multiple weapons in an incident and if the fatal weapon can be determined,
only enter the weapon that caused the fatal injury. If the weapon that caused the fatal injury
19

can not be determined, in the case of multiple weapons, then enter all of the weapons.
Because details are collected only about firearms and poisons, enter each one involved in the
incident as a separate weapon. For all other weapon types involved in a violent death, list the
weapon only once per incident. For example, if multiple sharp objects or knives are used to
kill one or more persons in an incident, enter only one weapon to represent all these sharp
objects. If multiple knives and multiple blunt objects are used, one “sharp instrument” and
one “blunt instrument” weapon should be entered.
If a gun is not recovered, but the victim died of a gunshot wound, code the number of
weapons as “1”. Similarly, if a knife is not recovered, but the victim died from wounds
inflicted by a sharp object, code the number of weapons as 1. Guns on the scene that were
not used to shoot the victim (e.g., a gun on the person of the victim), are not counted as
weapons in the incident. Similarly, poisons or drugs on the scene that were not ingested in a
drug overdose are not counted.
Step 5: Determine the number of documents available for the incident and enter that
number.
Note: The number of, and information about documents, does not have to be entered to
open a case. If states choose to use these fields as logbooks or ways to track the completion
of a case, the following information may prove helpful:
A document was conceived as a piece of paper or a computerized record that contains
information that is used to complete an incident. A document referenced within another
document would usually not be counted as a separate document. The minimum expected
number of documents per incident is three: a death certificate, a police report, and a CME
report. Two deaths in one incident would have a minimum of five documents: two death
certificates, two CME reports, and a police report (this is assuming that the police described
both deaths in the incident in one report).
States can count multiple reports contained within a CME or police file as part of one
document. Such files often contain autopsy reports, toxicology reports, gun traces, and the
like. States can also record each of these documents separately, at their discretion.
Once these steps are completed, the software will set up the appropriate number of blank
screens so that the incident can be captured. The user can then complete the case, one source
document at a time. The next section of the coding manual provides details about the data
elements to be completed.
Reabstraction Guidelines
Reabstraction of cases is probably the most important quality control measure for users of
the NVDRS software. It is far superior to reviewing completed incidents without access to
the original source documents. The primary purpose of reabstraction is to identify errors in
the coding of key data elements in a timely way. A secondary purpose is to identify data
fields that have low reliability, i.e., they are not completed in the same way by trained
independent observers in a significant percentage of incidents, perhaps because of their
inherent subjectivity.

20

We suggest the following reabstraction guidelines:
1

Reabstraction should be done by the person who is most skilled in coding. This need not
always be the supervisor. It should not be done by the same person who did the original
coding.
2 The reabstractor should have access to all the original records used by the original
abstractor.
3 The reabstractor should not have access to the original abstractor’s paper or electronic
abstraction when he/she reabstracts the incident. Preferably, to reduce the chances that
he/she will be biased by the other person’s interpretation, he/she will not have read the
original abstraction before doing the reabstraction.
4 The reabstractor should reabstract ten percent of incidents completed in the previous
quarter or previous month. By completed incidents, we mean incidents that have had data
entered from the death certificate, police report, and CME record.
5 Reabstractors should select the incident numbers of the incidents they want to reabstract
along with the necessary identifiers before going into the field. We suggest using the
Reports/Search by/Incident ID report in the application to create a list of incident IDs
from which to select. Eliminate from the list those incidents that have more than two
people listed in the report because it will not be possible to determine which person in the
original abstraction was intended to correspond to which person in the reabstraction
otherwise. Such matching can be done with only one person in the incident or with two
people, one victim and one suspect.
6 Initially, it is suggested to select every ninth completed record to have a few backup
incident numbers in case some original records are temporarily unavailable. Over time,
experience will suggest the sampling fraction that will result in successful completion of
ten percent.
7 Reabstraction should start soon after the end of the first quarter of data collection and be
done on an ongoing basis so that feedback to abstractors is timely.
8 Reabstractors should open a new incident for every reabstraction. The incident should be
put in the 2002 database so that it never becomes an unwanted duplicate in the current
year’s file.
9 Note also that you should not select incidents to reabstract that have not been checked in
from a laptop because their incident number may change when they are checked in.
10 Reabstractions will be sent to the CDC along with all other incidents in the routine way.
CDC will link the originals with their reabstractions and calculate concordance using
kappa statistics for all coded fields that have been completed by either abstractor.
11 State supervisor/reabstractors will want to compare their results with the original
abstractions themselves manually by printing an incident or by setting up queries to do
record comparisons for specified pairs of incidents. Any discrepancies noted should be
reconciled through discussion with the original abstractor.
12 It is important to distinguish between the two possible sources of error: true coder
disagreement and data entry error. Retraining or clarification of coding instructions may
help with coder disagreement, while changes in question format may help with data entry
error.

21

Data Elements Key
The next sections provide detailed information for each data element captured by NVDRS.
The sections are organized by screens as they appear in the NVDRS software application.
Within each section, the data elements are arranged by location on the screen. Each data
element or group of related data elements begins on a new page and follows the format
below:
Variable Label: Variable Name
Data Sources: (List of all sources for this variable)
NVDRS Name
Variable Name

Definition
Short definition of the variable

Response Options: Lists all valid response options
Uses
Discusses the uses of the data element or group of data elements.
Discussion
Provides guidance on how to code the data element or group of data elements.
Case Examples
Provides examples of how to code the data element. (May not always be present.)
Analysis
Name
Variable
Name

Table Options:
Person, Weapon,
etc.

Label
Variable
Label

Type of Field:
Number, Text,
Checkbox

Table

Type

Table in which
data are stored

Type of
field

Priority Options:
ER – Early Required
LR – Late Required
O – Optional

Field
Length
Length
of field

Priority
Priority
of the
variable

Primacy
Hierarchy of
reliability of
the source for
variable

Primacy:
ATF – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives
CFR – Child Fatality Review
CME – Coroner/Medical Examiner
DC – Death Certificate
ED – Hospital Emergency Depts
LAB – Crime Lab
PR – Police Report
SHR – Supplementary Homicide
Report
SYS - System

23

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DC_SEX

CME
MP_SEX

PR
PP_SEX

SAS Variable Names:
Variables converted to SAS files are identified by a
variable prefix indicating source document and a variable
name. See primacy abbreviations above.

24

Section 1
Incident Variables
Variable Label
Site ID
Incident ID
Case Status
Number of source documents in incident
Number of persons in incident
Number of weapons in incident
Number of victim-suspect relationship records in incident
Number of person-weapon relationship records in incident
Date supervisor checked incident
Date supervisor rechecked incident
Supervisor note field
Number of nonfatally shot persons in incident
Narrative of the incident
Witness(es) to fatal incident
Child witness(es) to fatal accident
CFR additional information
Reabstraction from data year
Reabstraction of incident number

Variable Name
SiteID
IncID
CaseStat
NumSrDocs
NumPersons
NumWeapons
NumVSRels
NumPWRels
DtSuper
DtReSuper
SuperTxt
NumInjure
IncNarr
Witness
ChldWit
CFRTxt
ReabstractYr
ReabstractInc

Page
1-3
1-3
1-5
1-6
1-7
1-9
1-11
1-12
1-13
1-13
1-14
1-15
1-16
1-21
1-22
1-23
1-24
1-24

Incident

Site ID: SiteID
Incident ID: IncID
Data Sources: System
NVDRS Name
SiteID
IncID

Definition
System assigned identifier for the reporting state/territory
System assigned sequential identifier for the incident

Response Options:
SiteID
1
2
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York

37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
60
64
66
68
69
70
74
78

North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
American Samoa
Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Marshall Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Virgin Islands of the U.S.

1-3

Incident
Uses
Used together, the Site ID and the Incident ID uniquely identify each incident in the database
for a given data year. The Site ID and Incident ID are used to link data from tables in the
relational database. The Site ID can be used to sort data by site for analysis.
Discussion
The Site ID indicates which state has abstracted the incident. This may not be the state of
injury or the state of residence of any victim in the incident, as discussed in the Definitions
section. The Site ID number is the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code
assigned to the state or U.S. territory. The Incident ID is automatically assigned by the
software and increases by one for each incident entered. There are no provisions for missing
or unknown information for the Site ID or Incident ID data elements.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

SiteID
IncID

Site ID
Incident ID

Incident
Incident

Number
Text

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YISITEID
YIINCID

1-4

Field
Length
2
9

Priority

Primacy

ER
ER

SYS
SYS

Incident

Case Status: CaseStat
Data Sources: Abstractor
Name
CaseStat

Definition
Status of case

Response Options:
0 Incident abstraction initiated
1 Preliminary early required abstracted
2 Near final early required completed
3 Preliminary late required abstracted
4 Near final late required completed
5 Preliminary optional abstracted
6 Near final optional completed
7 Incident abstraction completed
8 Incident closed to further edits
9 Not an NVDRS case
Uses
This field is used by the abstractor and/or supervisor to monitor data collection progress and
convey to CDC the status of a particular incident.
Discussion
When a new case is initiated, it will be given a case status of 1 (open) by default. This
value should be changed as different stages of data entry are completed to mark progress.
This variable is included in a standard quality control report that can be generated by
NVDRS software to determine how many cases are in each status category. States or
CDC may prefer to restrict the data to incidents of a particular case status before
performing analyses. The case status variable will have no bearing on whether individual
incidents are uploaded to CDC during routine uploads; all incidents will be uploaded.
Option 9, “Not an NVDRS case,” is used for incidents that the state chooses to capture,
but which do not meet NVDRS case definitions. These cases are excluded from CDC
analysis.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

CaseStat

Case status Incident

Type
Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR

SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS

1-5

Incident

Number of source documents in incident: NumSrDocs
Data Sources: SYS
NVDRS Name
NumSrDocs

Definition
Number of Source Documents

Response Options
Number of documents
Uses
This variable defines the number of source documents in the incident.
Discussion
There must be a minimum of one document in each incident. The number of source
documents is the total number of documents that provided information for the incident,
including but not limited to:
 death certificates
 coroner/medical examiner reports
 police/law enforcement reports
Analysis
Name

Label

NumSrDocs Number of source
documents in incident
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YISRDOCS

1-6

Table

Type

Incident

Number

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
4
ER
SYS

Incident

Number of persons in incident: NumPersons
Data Sources: SYS
NVDRS Name
NumPersons

Definition
The number of persons in the incident. If there are no suspects, the
number of persons in the incident is equal to the number of victims.

Response Options:
Number of persons
Uses
This variable defines the number of persons in the incident.
Discussion
There must be a minimum of one person in each incident. People in the incident are only
those who are fatally injured (victims) or suspects in their deaths. An individual may be both
a suspect and a victim, as in the case of a husband who murders his wife and then kills
himself. Identifying the victims in the incident is not difficult once you have determined how
to define an incident (see Definitions section). Identifying how many suspects to include may
be more difficult.







There are no suspects for isolated suicides and self-inflicted unintentional firearm deaths.
For homicides, suspects include people who are listed by the police or the CME as
suspects.
For unintentional firearm deaths that are not self-inflicted, include the person who fired
the weapon as a suspect and anyone else listed by the police as a suspect.
A person does not have to be arrested or identified to be listed as a suspect. As long as the
number of persons involved in the death is known (e.g., police report that the victim was
stabbed by two males), each should be listed as a suspect, even if nothing further is
known about them.
When the number of suspects in a homicide is not known, either because they are not
named in the investigation or there are no witness statements that indicate any suspects,
then consider the number of suspects to be zero. The number of persons in such incidents
will be equal to the number of victims.

Examples
 No suspects: A homicide victim was found in the trunk of his burned out car.
 One suspect: A homicide victim was found in the trunk of his burned out car that his son
was seen driving away in two hours prior.
 Two suspects: A homicide victim was found in the trunk of his burned out car. His son
and the son’s friend were seen loading a carpet into the trunk two hours prior.
 Unknown number of suspects: A homicide victim was found in the trunk of his burned
out car. Neighbors reported seeing a conversion van stopped in front of his house a few
hours earlier that appeared to have many people in it.

1-7

Incident
Analysis
Name

Label

NumPersons Number of persons
in incident

Table

Type

Incident

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YIPERSON

1-8

Field
Length
4

Priority

Primacy

ER

SYS

Incident

Number of weapons in incident: NumWeapons
Data Sources: SYS
NVDRS Name
NumWeapons

Definition
Number of weapons in incident

Response Options:
Number of weapons
Uses
This variable defines the number of weapons in the incident.
Discussion
There must be a minimum of one weapon in each incident. Weapons can range from
instruments everyone would call a weapon, such as a gun or bayonet, to actions such as
setting fires, pushing someone over a cliff, or shaking (as in shaken baby syndrome).
Additional descriptive data elements exist only for firearms and poisons. The weapon type
categories include:


















Firearms
Nonpowder guns (e.g., BB guns)
Sharp instruments
Blunt instruments
Poisoning
Hanging/ strangulation/suffocation
Personal weapons(e.g., fist or feet)
Falls
Explosives
Drowning
Fire/burns
Shaking
Motor vehicle
Other transport vehicle
Biological weapon
Intentional neglect
Other/Unknown

Because details are collected only about firearms and poisons, enter each firearm or poison
involved in the incident as a separate weapon. For all other weapon types involved in a
violent death, list the weapon only once per incident. When there are multiple weapons in
the incident and if the fatal weapon can be determined, only enter the weapon that caused
the fatal injury. If the weapon that caused the fatal injury cannot be determined, in the case
of multiple weapons, then enter all of the weapons. For example, if multiple sharp objects
or knives are used to kill one or more persons in an incident, enter only one weapon to

1-9

Incident
represent all these sharp objects. If multiple knives and blunt objects are used, one “sharp
instrument” and one “blunt instrument” weapon record should be entered. Guns on the
scene that are known to have not been used to shoot the victim, (e.g., a gun on the person of
the victim), are not counted as weapons in the incident. Similarly, poisons or drugs on the
scene that were not ingested in a overdose are not counted. Evidence that it was taken as an
overdose would be indicated in a statement that the person took an overdose or the drug
was responsible for the death.
Analysis
Name

Label

NumWeapons Number of weapons
in in incident
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YIWEAPNO

1-10

Table
Incident

Type

Field
Length
Number 4

Priority Primacy
ER

SYS

Incident

Number of victim-suspect relationship records in incident: NumVSRels
Data Sources: SYS
NVDRS Name
NumVSRels

Definition
Number of victim-suspect relationship records in incident

Response Options:
Number of victim-suspect relationships
Uses
This variable captures the number of victim-suspect relationships that exist in the incident
and need to be defined.
Discussion
The number of victim-suspect relationships is automatically generated by the software
and is based on the number of victims and the number of suspects loaded by the
abstractor.
Analysis
Name

Label

NunVSRels Number of victimsuspect relationship
records in incident

Table
Incident

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Number 4
LR
SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YIVSREL

1-11

Incident

Number of person-weapon relationship records in incident: NumPWRels
Data Sources: SYS
NVDRS Name
NumPWRels

Definition
Number of person-weapon relationship records in incident

Response Options:
Number of person-weapon relationships
Uses
This variable captures the number of person-weapon relationship records in the incident that
need to be defined.
Discussion
The number of person-weapon relationships is automatically generated by the software
and is based on the number of persons and the number of weapons loaded by the
abstractor.
Analysis
Name

Label

NumPWRels Number of personweapon relationship
records in incident
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YIPWREL

1-12

Table

Type

Incident Number

Field
Length
4

Priority Primacy
LR

SYS

Incident

Date supervisor checked incident: DtSuper
Date supervisor rechecked incident: DtReSuper
Data Sources: SYS/Supervisor
NVDRS Name
DtSuper
DtReSuper

Definition
Date supervisor checked incident
Date supervisor rechecked incident

Response Options:
Date
Uses
Supervisors can use these fields to track whether they have checked the incident. Problems or
questions noted in the supervisor’s review can be placed in the supervisor note field. In
Version 1 of the software, states marked reabstracted incidents in the 2002 database with the
following text string in the supervisor field: “dup/siteID/yyyy/IncID”. This information is
needed for linking the reabstraction incident to the original incident for cases entered in
Version 1 of the software.
From Version 2 of the software onwards, two data elements (‘ReabstractYr’ and
‘ReabstractInc’) were added to the 2002 data year panel to make the linking of reabstracted
incidents to original incidents easier. Please see “Reabstraction from data year” variable uses
and discussion for more information.
Discussion
These fields will not be used by every state. They may be coded “NA” if they are not used.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

DtSuper

Date Supervisor checked
incident
Date supervisor rechecked incident

DtReSuper

Type

Field
Length

Priority Primacy

Incident Text

10

LR

SYS

Incident Text

10

LR

SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YISUPDT
YISUPDTR

1-13

Incident

Supervisor note field: SuperTxt
Data Sources: Supervisor
NVDRS Name
SuperTxt

Definition
Supervisor note field

Response Options:
Notes to abstractor
Uses
Supervisors can use this field to track whether they have checked the incident, make notes
about potential problems or inconsistencies, leave questions for abstractors or for any other
incident review issue.
Discussion
This field will not be used by every state. It may be coded “NA” if it is not used.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

DtSuper

Date Supervisor checked
incident

Incident Text

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Supervisor
YISUPTXT

1-14

Type

Field
Length
10

Priority Primacy
LR

SYS

Incident

Number of nonfatally shot persons in incident: NumInjure
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
NumInjure

Definition
Number of nonfatal gunshot wound victims associated with the
incident

Response Options:
Number of non-fatally shot victims
0
None
9999 Unknown
Uses
Can be used to assess the extent of multiple-victim incidents and the association of
nonfatal injuries with fatal incidents. This variable appears in the PR and CME incident
narrative panels only.
Discussion
Record the total number of victims who sustained a projectile wound from a firearm during
the course of the incident and survived.
 Victims of pistol whipping should not be counted here.
 Enter “0” if there is no indication of a nonfatal shooting. Enter “9999” if the
number of such persons is unknown.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

NumInjure

Number of nonfatally
shot persons in incident

Incident Number

Field
Length
4

Priority Primacy
LR/LR

PR/CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MIGSWNF

PR
PIGSWNF

1-15

Incident

Narrative of the incident: IncNarr
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
IncNarr

Definition
Narrative of the Incident

Response Options: Free text field
Uses
There are a number of purposes for collecting a narrative account of the incident.
 To briefly summarize the incident (who, what, when, where, why).
 To facilitate data quality control checks on the coding of key variables.
 To provide the context for understanding the incident.
 To record information and additional detail that cannot be captured elsewhere.
Discussion
Incident narratives are written based on a single data source. Consequently, there is an
incident narrative that summarizes the police findings, a narrative that describes the CME’s
findings, and one that records additional information from the Child Fatality Review Team
(CFRT). The narratives based on these separate data sources will often vary in the level of
detail they contain, and may even differ from each other on details of the incident.
In referring to persons in the narrative, use “Victim” or “V” to refer to the Victim, or “V1,”
“V2,” etc., in incidents with multiple victims. Similarly, use “Suspect” or “S1,” “S2,” etc.
Victim/Suspects may be designated as “V/S” or “B” (for “both”).
At a minimum, the following should be included in all narratives:
 The number of victims, suspects, and victim/suspects described in the source
document
 Who was injured by whom
 The relationship between victim and suspect if injury not self-inflicted
 Where the injury occurred (or the victim was found)—not a specific place or address,
but a description such as “at home,” “at work,” or “on the street,” such as listed in the
“Type of location where injured” data element
 Additional detail on all precipitating circumstances coded in the data source tab
 Sex and age of person(s) involved
 Weapon(s) involved
The following should not be included in any narratives:
 Personally identifying information such as names of people, towns, streets, police
departments, and hospitals
 Specific dates
 Abbreviations (with the exception of V, S, S/V, and B for the persons in the narrative)
 Incomplete sentences (as they are hard to understand)

1-16

Incident

If two data sources are found in one source (i.e. the PR includes a copy of the CME report)
then the CME information should only be listed in the CME section even if it comes in the
PR report. If multiple police records conflict about the narrative details, record what you
believe to be in the most accurate narrative. Do the same for multiple CME records.
Examples:
Good Narratives
“V was a 20 year old male passenger in a taxi cab who was shot by the male cab driver, S,
after an altercation over the amount of the cab fare. The two were not previously acquainted.
The V had been drinking at a bar.”
“Male victim was 45 years old and was found in his parked car in the driveway of his home
with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. No suicide note was found. His wife reports
he was despondent over the loss of his job four months ago and had talked about suicide but
never previously attempted. CME report does not document any mental health or substance
abuse history.”
“V is a 26 yo male with a history of depression. V was found by his sister and her boyfriend
hanging from the stairwell in his home. The boyfriend cut V down and began CPR while V’s
sister called 911. V had an appointment with a doctor to discuss his depression the same day
that he died. Rat poison was found in V’s bedroom. No other information is known about the
circumstances surrounding his death”.
“58 year old white female V was found hanging by a bed sheet from the attic stairs of her
residence. She has a history of treatment for depression and a prior suicide attempt by over
medication. She had been released from the hospital following that attempt one week prior.
She had become progressively more depressed since the death of her second husband a year
earlier. She left a suicide note that contained her thoughts and regrets about her life”.
Poor Narratives:
Too Much Identifiable Information: “Victim approached by 2 AMs IFO Store 24 on Fresno
Blvd. at approximately 11:50 p.m. First AM dropped to his knees, took aim, and shot V in
left leg. V raises hand to block shot. Second S shoots V in hand and chest. V crawls to pay
phone. EMS responds. V to Bruckner Hospital; ICU three days; life support withdrawn
3/12/03.” Instead, this could be worded as follows: “V was approached and shot on the street
by two males. EMS responded. No information about precipitating circumstance or victimoffender relationship was reported. V survived 3 days in the hospital before life support was
withdrawn”
Too Little Information: “V with multiple GSW, homicide. Shooting was witnessed. V
transported to the hospital where V expired.” This narrative should also include, at

1-17

Incident
minimum, the number of suspects reported by witnesses, the age and sex of the victim, and
information on the location where the injury occurred.
Providing Information on Circumstance Variables:
An important function of incident narratives is to provide confirmation and supporting
information for circumstance variables that have been endorsed for the incident. The
following examples include an incident narrative in the left column, and links between the
relevant sections of the narrative text and the associated circumstance variables in the right
column:
Homicide Incident:
V was a 24 year old male, shot by his cousin (S1), a 19
year old male, while his cousin was robbing him of his
supply of marijuana. V was at home at the time. S also
physically assaulted V’s grandmother. V was a drug
dealer with a criminal record. The gun that was used in
the crime had been rented from another individual the
day before for $100.00
Homicide Incident:
Victims are a 24 year old Hispanic male (V1) and a 23
year old Hispanic female(V2). Suspect is 31 year old
Hispanic male (S). S was married to V2 and they had
been separated for approximately 3 months. V2 had
begun dating V1 during the separation. S called V2
earlier on the day of the incident and asked if he could
come over to talk. V2 said no. Later that evening, S
showed up at V2's home. Apparently, he noticed V1's,
(V2's boyfriend) car in the driveway and began yelling
for V1 to come out of his (S) home. After several
minutes, V1 came outside. V1 and S began to argue and
then V1 pulled out a knife and attempted to stab S.
Suspect pulled out a gun and shot V1 in the chest. After
he shot V1, S went into the house and shot V2. When
police arrived S was in living room standing over V2.

1-18

Precipitated by another
crime/Nature of first other
crime: robbery/First other
crime in progress
Drug involvement

Intimate partner violence
related

Jealousy (lovers’ triangle)

Victim used weapon

Incident
Suicide Incident:
The V, a 53 year old white male, was found in the
motel room he had been living in for the past month.
The staff found him when they came to clean the room.
His ex-wife revealed that he told her he was going to
kill himself three weeks ago when he was fired from his
job for being intoxicated while at work. Without his
job, he said he could not make his rent payment and had
nowhere to live. Ex-wife stated that V attempted
suicide last year by overdosing on sleeping pills and
had had chronic problems with alcohol abuse. The
manner of death is suicide; cause of death severe brain
injury due to gunshot wound to head.
Suicide Incident:
White female, aged 38 was found dead in her bedroom
by her mother. Two bottles of medication were found
on the nightstand along with a note stating that because
of her illness her quality of life had deteriorated and
given the financial burden of ongoing treatment, things
had become too much for her to bear. She was last seen
by a close friend the day before who stated that V spoke
about a recent issue with her HMO who was not
covering some treatments for a chronic illness
(advanced Multiple Sclerosis). During their discussion,
V stated that she had received a medical bill that she
didn’t know how she would pay. V did not give
indication that she was considering suicide. V’s mother
stated that in the past V had seen a psychologist to cope
with her illness. V discontinued therapy when she
became less symptomatic (fewer attacks). Although V
was currently experiencing more frequent attacks, she
was not currently receiving therapy due to financial
constraints.
Unintentional Firearm Injury Incident:
S (16 year old white male), found his father’s gun
unlocked in a cabinet, and took it on the school bus to
show to friends. S removed the magazine on the bus
and thought the gun was unloaded, but was not aware
that there was a live round in the chamber. As he was
showing the gun to V (16 year old white male), a friend
of his, and had his finger on the trigger, the gun
accidentally discharged, striking V in the chest and
killing him.

Disclosed intent to commit
suicide
Job problem
Financial problems
History of suicide attempts
Alcohol problem

Person left a suicide note
Physical health problem

Financial problem

Ever treated for mental
illness/Current mental
health problem

Thought unloaded,
magazine disengaged
Showing gun to others
Unintentionally pulled
trigger

1-19

Incident

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

IncNarr

Narrative of the incident

Incident Text

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MINARRA

1-20

PR
PINARRA

Type

Field
Length
1000

Priority Primacy
LR/LR

CME/PR

Incident

Witness(es) to fatal incident: Witness
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
Witness

Definition
Were there any witnesses to the incident?

Response Options:
0
1
7
8
9

No
Yes
Not collected by reporting site
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Information about witnesses may provide insight into potential risk factors for violent child deaths
and may also be useful for planning services and interventions for those who witnessed the violence.

Discussion
Witness(es) include any person(s) other than a suspect who was present and observed the
incident that led to the child’s death. The caregiver can be considered a witness, but only if
that person was not also the perpetrator.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Witness

Witness(es) to fatal
incident

Incident

Type

Field
Length
Number 1

Priority Primacy
O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CIWIT

1-21

Incident

Child Witness(es) to fatal incident: ChldWit
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
Chldwit

Definition
Were there any child witnesses to the incident?

Response Options:
0
1
7
8
9

No
Yes
Not collected by reporting site
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Information about witnesses may provide insight into potential risk factors for violent child deaths
and may also be useful for planning services and interventions for those who witnessed the violence.

Discussion
A child witness is defined as a person under18 years of age who was present and observed
the fatal incident.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Chldwit

Child witness(es) to fatal
incident

Incident

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CIWITC

1-22

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Number
1
O
CFR

Incident

CFR additional information: CFRTxt
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name

Definition

CFRTxt

Text field for describing additional relevant information provided by the Child
Fatality Review data source

Response Options:
Abstractor text
Uses
The CFR data source may provide information that is relevant to the death but is not available
from other sources.
Discussion
As a text field, use this area to clarify circumstances surrounding the death that may not be clear from
the CFR data elements or other NVDRS data sources. For example, unusual circumstances
surrounding the death, household composition, supervision, or CFR committee decisions would be
helpful in this text box. Also, coding options for several variables require further explanation in the
incident narrative; that information should be included here. This box should only reflect unique
information gathered from CFR, as it is a document-based system.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

CFRTxt

CFR additional
information

Incident

Type
Text

Field
Length
1000

Priority
O

Primacy
CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CINARRA

1-23

Incident

Reabstraction from data year: ReabstractYr (2002 data year panel only)
Reabstraction of incident number: ReabstractInc (2002 data year panel only)
Data Sources: SYS
NVDRS Name
ReabstractYr
ReabstractInc

Definition
The year of the incident that is being reabstracted.
The incident number of the case that is being reabstracted

Response Options:
ReabstractYr
20XX Year
ReabstractInc
Incident number
Uses
States use the 2002 data year incident panel to enter reabstracted incidents. These fields are used to
link the reabstracted incidents to the original incident. The primary purpose of reabstraction is to
identify errors in the coding of key data sources in a timely way. A secondary purpose is to identify
data fields that have low reliability, i.e., they are not completed in the same way by trained
independent observers in a significant percentage of incidents, perhaps because of their inherent
subjectivity.

Discussion
Ten percent of the incidents completed from the previous quarter or previous month should be
reabstracted. Completed incidents refer to incidents that have data entered from the death
certificate, police record, and CME record.
Reabstraction should start soon after the first completed quarter of data collection and be done on an
ongoing basis so that feedback to abstractors is timely. Reabstractors should open a new incident for
every reabstraction. The reabstracted incident should be put in the 2002 database so that it never
becomes an unwanted duplicate in the current year’s file. Reabstraction should be completed by the
individual who is most skilled in coding, not necessarily the supervisor. It should not be completed by
the same person who originally coded the incident. To reduce the chances that the reabstractor will be
biased by another person’s interpretation of the incident, they should not have read the original
abstraction before doing the reabstraction and they should not have access to the original abstractor’s
paper or electronic abstraction when they reabstract the incident. The reabstractor should have access
to all the original records used by the original abstractor.
Reabstracted cases will be sent to the CDC along with all other incidents in the routine way. CDC
will link the originals with their reabstractions and calculate concordance using kappa statistics for
all coded fields that have been completed by either abstractor.
State supervisor/reabstractors will want to compare their results with the original abstractions
themselves manually by printing an incident or by setting up queries to do record comparisons for
specified pairs of incidents. Any discrepancies noted should be reconciled through discussion with the
original abstractor. It will be important to distinguish between the two possible sources of error: true

1-24

Incident
coder disagreement and data entry error. Retraining or clarification of coding instructions may help
with coder disagreement, while changes in question format may help with data entry error.

Note: Do not reabstract incidents that have not been checked in from a laptop because their
incident number may change when they are checked in.
Analysis
NVDRS
Name
ReabstractYr

Label

Reabstraction
from data
year
ReabstractInc Of incident
number

Table

Type

Field
Length

Priority

Primacy

Incident

Text

4

O

SYS

Incident

Text

4

O

SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SYS
YIREDBYR
YIREABID

1-25

Section 2
Document Variables
Variable Label
Document type
Person who entered record
Source agency requested from
Source agency’s internal record number
Date record requested/expected/sought
Date record rerequested/re-searched
Date record received
Date record abstracted/imported
Date entered data checked
Document determined to be unavailable
Document notes field

Variable Name

Page

DocTyp
UserID
SrAgen
AgenNum
DtReqs
DtReReqs
DtRecd
DtAbst
DtChk
DocUnav
DocTxt

2-3
2-3
2-5
2-5
2-6
2-6
2-6
2-7
2-7
2-8
2-8

Document

Document type: DocTyp
Person who entered record: UserID
Data Sources: Abstractor
NVDRS Name
DocTyp
UserID

Definition
This variable identifies the document type.
This variable identifies the person who entered the record

Response Options:
DocTyp
1
Death certificate
2
Medical examiner report
3
Coroner report
4
Police report
5
SHR
6
NIBRS
7
Crime lab report
8
Toxicology report
9
Hospital discharge record
10
ED record
11
Gun trace
12
EMS report
13
CFRT report
14
Newspaper article (include data in narrative only)
88
Other
UserID
Abstractor identifier
Uses
These variables allow a record to be kept of the document sources of information used for
each incident. These two variables identify the type of document from which the data are
being collected and the person who is entering the information into the record. See the
Introduction section of this manual for a discussion about handling variables that identify
individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
These variables are optional, but their use is encouraged. A formal press release from a law
enforcement agency or prosecutor can be loaded in police report data elements. A press
release from anyone other than a law enforcement agency or prosecutor cannot be entered in
police report screens but can be included in the narrative if identified as a non-official source.

2-3

Document
Analysis
Name

Label

DocTyp
UserID

Document type
Person who
entered record

Table
Document
Document

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YDTYPE
YDUSERID

2-4

Type
Number
Text

Field
Length
2
15

Priority Primacy
O
O

SYS
SYS

Document

Source agency requested from: SrAgen
Source agency’s internal record number: AgenNum
Data Sources: Abstractor
NVDRS Name
SrAgen
AgenNum

Definition
This variable identifies the agency from which the data is being
requested.
This is the internal record number used by the agency from which
data is being requested.

Response Options:
SrAgen
Name of agency
AgenNum
Agency record number
Uses
These variables allow a record to be kept of the document sources used for each incident.
These variables are used to identify the agency from which the documents are being
requested. They provide the agency name and the internal number the agency uses to
identify the record from which the data are being collected. See the Introduction section of
this manual for a discussion about handling variables that identify individual persons or
agencies.
Discussion
These variables are optional, but their use is encouraged.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

SrAgen

Source agency
requested from
Source agency’s
internal record
number

Document

Text

Field
Length
50

Document

Text

50

AgenNum

Type

Priority Primacy
O

SYS

O

SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YDSOURCE
YDAGENCY

2-5

Document

Date record requested/expected/sought: DtReqs
Date record re-requested/re-searched: DtReReqs
Date record received: DtRecd
Data Sources: Abstractor
NVDRS Name
DtReqs
DrReReqs
DtRecd

Definition
Identifies the date that the record was requested from the agency.
Identifies the date that the record was re-requested from the agency.
Identifies the date that the record was received from the agency.

Response Options:
DtReqs
DtReReqs
DtRecd
Date
Uses
These variables allow a record to be kept of the dates each document was requested, rerequested if necessary, and the date received. This can be useful in checking information, but
they can also be used as an abstractor “logbook” to track the status of records that have been
requested. See the Introduction section of this manual for a discussion about handling
variables that identify individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
These variables are optional, but their use is encouraged.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

DtReqs

Date record requested/
expected/sought
Date record rerequested/ re-searched
Date record received

Document

DtReReqs
DtRecd

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YDREQST
YDREREQ
YDRECDT

2-6

Type

Priority

Primacy

Text

Field
Length
10

O

SYS

Document

Text

10

O

SYS

Document

Text

10

O

SYS

Document

Date record abstracted/imported:
Date entered data checked: DtChk

DtAbst

Data Sources: Abstractor
NVDRS Name
DtAbst
DtChk

Definition
This variable identifies the date that the record was abstracted
and/or imported.
This variable identifies the date that the entered data was checked.

Response Options:
DtAbst
DtChk
Date
Uses
These variables allow a record to be kept of the date documents were abstracted and rechecked by other abstractors/supervisors/principal investigators. They can be used for
measuring timeliness by calculating the interval between date of death/date received and date
abstracted for each abstractor. See the Introduction section of this manual for a discussion
about handling variables that identify individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
These variables are optional, but their use is encouraged.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

DtAbst

Date record
abstracted/imported
Date entered data checked

Document
Document

DtChk

Type

Priority

Primacy

Text

Field
Length
10

O

SYS

Text

10

O

SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YDABSTR
YDCHKDT

2-7

Document

Document determined to be unavailable: DocUnav
Document notes field: DocTxt
Data Sources: Abstractor
NVDRS Name
DocUnav
DocTxt

Definition
This variable identifies the availability of the document.
This variable identifies the notes field in the document.

Response Options:
DocUnav
0
No
1
Yes
DocTxt
Abstractor notes
Uses
These variables allow a record to be kept of documents that cannot be obtained and notes
regarding the source document receipt process. See the Introduction section of this manual
for a discussion about handling variables that identify individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
These variables are optional, but their use is encouraged.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

DocUnav

Document determined
to be unavailable
Document notes field

Document

DocTxt

Document

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YDUVAIL
YDNOTES

2-8

Type

Field
Length
Number
1
Text

1000

Priority

Primacy

O

SYS

O

SYS

Section 3
Person’s Identity
Variable Label
Person type
Last name
First name
Middle name
Social Security #
Date of birth
Age
Age unit
Person’s sex
White
Black
Asian
Pacific Islander
American Indian
Other
Unspecified
Hispanic/Latino/Spanish
State
County
City
Address
ZIP code
Country
US Census tract
US Census block group

Variable Name
PType
LName
FName
MName
SSN
DOB
Age
AgeTyp
Sex
White
Black
Asian
PacIsland
AmerIndian
OtherRace
Unsepecified
Ethnic
ResState
ResCounty
Place
ResAddres
ResZip
Countr
CensSt
CensBl

Page
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3-6
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Identity

Person type: PType
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
PType

Definition
This variable indicates whether the person is a victim, a suspect, or both.
Also indicates which individuals are identified in one source document
but not mentioned in another.

Response Options:
1
Victim
2
Suspect
3
Both victim and suspect
4
This source does not mention this person
5
Data source for this person is not available to NVDRS
6
Pending
Uses
This variable is used to identify a person’s role in an incident (i.e. if the individual is a
victim, suspect, or suspect/victim). The person type variable is also important in identifying
individuals who are mentioned in one source document but not mentioned in another.
Discussion
Victims (Person Type = 1)
Victims are people who died in a suicide, violence-related homicide, legal intervention, as
the result of a firearm injury, or from an undetermined manner. NOTE: A baby who dies as
the result of direct, violent injuries sustained before birth (i.e. a fetal death) should not be
recorded as a victim. Only babies who were delivered and lived outside the womb for any
period of time and were issued both a birth certificate and a death certificate should be
included as victims.
Example of Person Type = 1 Victim
 Individual committed suicide and found dead in his residence
Suspects (Person Type = 2)
Suspects are those suspected of having killed another person in an incident, whether
intentionally or (in the case of some firearm injuries) unintentionally. A person’s status as a
suspect should only be assigned with reference to fatal injuries. When two or more people
attack a victim in an incident, all of the attackers should be recorded as suspects, regardless
of who actually dealt the fatal blow.
Examples of Person Type = 2 Suspect
 Person A kills Person B in a drug deal gone bad. Person A is the suspect.
 Two armed robbers hold up a store. One robber has a gun and fatally shoots
the store clerk. Both robbers are suspects.

3-3

Identity


Two gang members drive by and shoot a boy on a street. One gang member is
driving and one gang member pulls the trigger. Both gang members are
suspects.

Both Suspect/Victim (Person Type 3)
Suspect/Victim’s are victims of homicide, suicide or legal intervention, who also killed
someone else in the incident.
Examples of Person Type = 3 Suspect/Victim
 A man kills his wife and then kills himself. He is a suspect because he killed
someone else, and a suicide victim because he killed himself; thus he is both
suspect and victim (Person Type = 3).
 A person robs a store and kills the store clerk. While running from the store
he is shot and killed by a police officer. The person is a suspect in the killing
of the store clerk and is a legal intervention victim because he is killed by a
police officer; thus he is both suspect and victim (Person Type = 3).
 A husband learns his wife is having an affair with a male friend. The
husband kills the male friend in anger. The distraught wife kills her husband.
The husband is a suspect because he killed the male friend, and a victim
because he was then killed by his wife; thus he is both suspect and victim
(Person Type = 3).
This source does not mention this person (Person Type 4)
NVDRS is a data source based system and some data sources may not mention particular
individuals in an incident. When this occurs code Person Type = 4 for that data source and
leave the person identity variables for the source blank. Note that if you add persons to an
existing incident after receiving new source documents that mention that person, it will be
necessary to go back and code that new person as type 4 with respect to the earlier
documents.
Example of Person Type = 4 This source does not mention this person
 A police report states that person A is the suspect and he is loaded in PR
tabs. The coroner/medical examiner report does not mention any
suspects. Thus person A will be coded Person Type 4 in the CME
identity screen; this source does not mention this person.
Data source for this person is not available to NVDRS (Person Type 5)
For a variety of reasons some data sources are not available to the NVDRS. When this
occurs code Person Type 5 for that data source.
Example: Data source for this person is not available to NVDRS (Person Type 5)
 A police jurisdiction doesn’t submit police reports to NVDRS for suicide
cases, therefore this wil be coded as person type = 5, data source for this
person is not available to NVDRS.

3-4

Identity
Analysis
Name Label
Ptype

Table

Type

Field
Priority
Primacy
Length
Person Type Person Number 1
LR/ER/LR/O CME/DC/PR/SHR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
DC
PR
SHR
MP_Ptype DP_Ptype PP_Ptype SP_Ptype

3-5

Identity

Last name: LName
First name: FName
Middle name: MName
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
LName
FName
MName

Definition
Last name of victim or suspect
First name of victim or suspect
Middle name of victim or suspect

Response Options:
Last name or Unknown
First name or Unknown
Middle name, middle initial or Unknown
Uses
Personal identifiers are used to uniquely identify an individual for linking data across data
sources and for identifying duplicate records. See the Introduction section of this manual for
a discussion about handling variables that can identify individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
Names are not always accurate unique identifiers, as alternate spellings and versions of a
name are common. Some victims and suspects also use one or more aliases.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

LName
FName
MName

Last name
First name
Middle name

Person
Person
Person

Text
Text
Text

Field
Length
50
50
50

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_NAMEL
MP_NAMEF
MP_NAMEM

3-6

PR
PP_NAMEL
PP_NAMEF
PP_NAMEM

DC
DP_NAMEL
DP_NAMEF
DP_NAMEM

Priority

Primacy

ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR
ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR
ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

Identity

Social Security Number: SSN
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
SSN
Response Options:
999999999

Definition
Social Security number of victim or suspect
Unknown

Uses
Personal identifiers are used to uniquely identify an individual for linking data across data
sources and for identifying duplicate records. See the Introduction section of this manual for
a discussion about handling variables that can identify individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
If the social security number is blank or unknown in the source document, enter 999999999.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

SSN

Social Security #

Person

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Number
9
LR/ER

Primacy
CME/DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_SSN

DC
DP_SSN

3-7

Identity

Date of birth: DOB
Age: Age
Age unit: AgeTyp
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
DOB
Age
AgeTyp

Definition
Date of birth of victim or suspect
Age of victim or suspect
Type of unit (e.g., years, hours) used to report age

Response Options:
DOB
99/99/99
Age
999
AgeTyp
1
2
3
4
5
6
9

Unknown
Unknown
Years
Months
Weeks
Days
Hours
Minutes
Unknown

Uses
Age is standard demographic information used in epidemiologic analyses. Date of birth is
used to verify age and to assist in uniquely identifying an individual. See the Introduction
section of this manual for a discussion about handling variables that can identify individual
persons or agencies.
Discussion
Age is reported using the same conventions that vital statistics data uses to facilitate more
precise reporting of newborn and infant ages. It is reported in two variables: “Age” identifies
the number of years, months, other units of the victim, and “AgeTyp” identifies the type of
unit used. So, for example, a three-month-old baby has an Age of 3, and an AgeTyp of 2
(months).
 In some cases, the victim’s or suspect’s exact age will not be known.
 If age is provided within a five-year age range or less, choose the midpoint of the range;
round to the lower year if the midpoint calculation results in a half year. For example, a
suspect reported to be 20 to 25 years of age would be entered as 22.
 If an age range of > 5 years is provided, enter the age as unknown.
 Do not calculate age from date of birth and date of incident.
 If age is not provided, code as 999 for unknown.
 For victims (and suspect/victims), use the age at the time of death.

3-8

Identity


For suspects, use the age as given in the record in question whether it is the age at injury
or at arrest.

Analysis
Name

Label

DOB
Date of birth
Age
Age
AgeTyp Age unit

Table

Type

Person
Person
Person

Text
Number
Number

Field
Length
10
3
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/ER
LR/ER/LR/O
LR/ER/LR

CME/DC
CME/DC/PR/SHR
CME/DC/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
PR
DC
SHR
MP_DOB
----DP_DOB
----MP_AGE
PP_AGE
DP_AGE
SP_AGE
MP_AGEU
PP_AGEU
DP_AGEU
*
*The SHR only captures age in years thus there is no AgeTyp variable. Persons less than one
year of age are coded as ‘0’ for SP_AGE.

3-9

Identity

Person’s sex: Sex
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
Sex

Definition
Sex of the victim or suspect

Response Options:
1
Male
2
Female
9
Unknown
Uses
The person’s sex is standard demographic information used in epidemiologic analyses.
Discussion
Code based on the person’s biological sex at the time of death.
Analysis
Name Label
Sex

Person’s sex

Table
Person

Type
Number

Field
Priority
Primacy
Length
1
ER/LR/O/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_SEX

3-10

PR
PP_SEX

DC
DP_SEX

SHR
SP_SEX

Identity

White: White
Black: Black
Asian: Asian
Pacific Islander: PacIsland
American Indian: AmerIndian
Other: OtherRace
Unspecified: Unspecified
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
White
Black
Asian
PacIsland
AmerIndian
OtherRace
Unspecified

Definition
Person with origins among any of the original peoples of Europe, North
Africa, or the Middle East
Person with origins among any of the black racial groups of Africa
Person with origins among any of the original peoples of the Far East,
Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent
Person with origins among any of the original peoples of the Pacific
Islands (includes Native Hawaiians)
Person with origins among any of the original peoples of North America
and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or
community recognition (includes Alaska Natives)
Other
Unspecified

Response Options:
White
Black
Asian
PacIsland
AmerIndian
OtherRace
Unspecified
0
1

No
Yes

Uses
Although the biological significance of race has been questioned, data on race are used
frequently in public health surveillance and epidemiologic, clinical, and health services
research.
Discussion
Racial categories are neither precise nor mutually exclusive, and the concept of race lacks
clear scientific definition. Starting in 1977, the federal government sought to standardize data
on race and ethnicity among its agencies through the Office of Management and Budget’s
(OMB) Statistical Policy Directive Number 15: Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal
3-11

Identity
Statistics and Administrative Reporting (OMB 1978). Statistical Policy Directive Number
15 was replaced and superseded on October 30, 1997. According to the standards, the racial
and ethnic categories set forth should not be interpreted as being primarily biological or
genetic in reference. Race and ethnicity may be thought of in terms of social and cultural
characteristics, and ancestry. The following major changes regarding race were made to the
standards:
1) The Asian or Pacific Islander category was separated into two, replacing the existing
four categories with five;
2) When self-identification is used, there should be a method for reporting more than
one race that should take the form of multiple responses to a single question and
should not include a “multiracial” category;
3) Some changes were made to the definitions of the categories, e.g., Central and South
American Indians should be classified as American Indian.
If a person’s ethnicity is provided in place of their race, e.g., race is given as “Hispanic”, and
no other valid race value is given, mark their race as “unspecified”. If source documents
indicate “Mulatto,” check both “white” and “black”. For SHR data, if race is left blank, enter
“Unspecified”. If “Asian/Pacific Islander” is indicated, check both “Asian” and “PacIsland”.
These new standards were used by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2000 decennial census.
Analysis
Name
White
Black
Asian

Label

Table

White
Black
Asian
Pacific
PacIsland
Islander
AmerIndian American
Indian
OtherRace Other
Unspecified Unspecified

Field
Length
Person Checkbox
1
Person Checkbox
1
Person Checkbox
1

Priority

Person Checkbox

1

ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR

Checkbox

1

ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR

Person Checkbox
Person Checkbox

1
1

ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR
ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR

Person

Type

Primacy

ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR
ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR
ER/LR/LR/LR DC/CME/SHR/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_RACEW
MP_RACEB
MP_RACEA
MP_RACEP
MP_RACEI
MP_RACEO
MP_RACEU

3-12

PR
PP_RACEW
PP_RACEB
PP_RACEA
PP_RACEP
PP_RACEI
PP_RACEO
PP_RACEU

DC
DP_RACEW
DP_RACEB
DP_RACEA
DP_RACEP
DP_RACEI
DP_RACEO
DP_RACEU

SHR
SP_RACEW
SP_RACEB
SP_RACEA
SP_RACEP
SP_RACEI
SP_RACEO
SP_RACEU

Identity

Hispanic/Latino/Spanish: Ethnic
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
Ethnic

Definition
Ethnicity of the victim or suspect of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or
South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race

Response Options:
0
1
9

Not Hispanic or Latino
Hispanic or Latino
Unknown

Uses
Data on ethnicity can be used in public health surveillance, and in epidemiologic, clinical,
and health services research.
Discussion
Ethnicity is a concept used to differentiate population groups on the basis of shared cultural
characteristics or geographic origins. A variety of cultural attributes contribute to ethnic
differentiation, including language, patterns of social interaction, religion, and styles of dress.
However, ethnic differentiation is imprecise and fluid. It is contingent upon a sense of group
identity that can change over time and that involves subjective and attitudinal influences.
Since 1977, the federal government has sought to standardize data on race and ethnicity
among its agencies through the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Statistical
Policy Directive Number 15: Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and
Administrative Reporting (OMB 1978). The revision to Directive Number 15 replaces the
two ethnic categories — Hispanic and Not of Hispanic Origin — with “Hispanic or Latino”
and “Not Hispanic or Latino”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Ethnic Hispanic/Latino/
Spanish

Table

Type

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority
ER/LR/LR/LR

Primacy
DC/CME/SHR/
PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_HISPO

PR
PP_HISPO

DC
DP_HISPO

SHR
SP_HISPO

3-13

Identity

ADDRESS OF RESIDENCE
State: ResState
County: ResCounty
City: Place
Address: ResAddres
ZIP code: ResZip
Country: Countr
US Census tract: CensSt
US Census block group: CensBl
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
ResState
ResCounty
Place
ResAddres
ResZip
Countr
CensSt
CensBl

Definition
Residential U.S. state or territory address of victim or suspect, FIPS 2digit state code
Residential county address of victim or suspect, FIPS 3-digit county
code
Residential city address of the victim or suspect, FIPS 5-digit city/town
code (“place” code
Residential street address of the victim or suspect
Residential zip code, 5-digit zip code
Residential country of victim or suspect
U.S. Census tract of residence of victim or suspect
U.S. Census block group of residence of victim or suspect

Response Options:
ResState
01
02
04
05
06
08
09
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
3-14

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa

Identity
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
60
64
66
68
69
70
74
78
88
99

Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
American Samoa
Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Marshall Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Virgin Islands of the U.S.
Not applicable
Unknown

3-15

Identity

ResCounty
888
999

FIPS code*
Not applicable
Unknown

Place
FIPS code*
88888 Not applicable
99999 Unknown
ResAddres
9

Unknown

*Select FIPS code using NVDRS software or, for missing codes, search for the correct code
at the following web site: http://geonames.usgs.gov/fips55.html
ResZip
88888 Not applicable
99999 Unknown
Countr
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas, The
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda

3-16

Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros

Identity
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d’Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia, The
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Holy See
Honduras

Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jan Mayen
Japan
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea-North
Korea-South
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macao
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Man
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico

3-17

Identity
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino

3-18

Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
Sudan, The
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands of the U.S.
Wallis and Futuna

Identity
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia

Zimbabwe
Other
Unknown

CensSt
9999.99

Unknown

CensBl
9999.99

Unknown

Uses
The address is useful to determine the agency responsible for potential public health
interventions, to undertake geocoding, and to calculate population-based injury rates. The
address can also be used to gain access to U.S. Census information about the socioeconomic
status of the victim’s neighborhood. These data elements also identify non-U.S. residents.
See the Introduction section of this manual for a discussion about handling variables that can
identify individual persons or agencies.
Discussion
 If a person is currently residing in a short-term facility such as a rehabilitation hospital,
drug treatment program, jail, etc., use his or her home address as the residential address.
A short term facility is one in which a person is expected to return to his or her residence
after a stay of generally no more than 3 months.
 If a person is living in a short-term facility and no residential address is noted, use
the address of the short-term facility.
 If a person is residing in a long-term facility, such as a college dormitory, prison, or
residential nursing home, use the institution’s address.
 The address information should be collected at the local level in a format that meets the
local standards for geocoding. Reporting sites planning to geocode their data at the local
level can generate the census block group and tract in which the incident occurred from a
geocoding program. In some states, the vital statistics registry or police department will
have already geocoded the address and will have census tract and block group
information available.
 The person’s city/town (“place”) and county are coded using standard Federal
Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes.
 If the state or country of residence is unknown, enter 99.
 If the person is a resident of a U.S. territory, enter the FIPS code for that territory (see the
preceding list).
 If the person is not a resident of a U.S. state or territory, enter 88 for “Not applicable”.
 In general, use whatever is coded on the death certificate as the place of residence. This
should handle tourists, itinerants, part-time residents, etc.
 If there is no death certificate, as for living suspects, use whatever state of residence is
provided by the CME and police.
 A Native American reservation should be coded as the state in which it is located. If the
reservation spans multiple states, code based on state borders.
3-19

Identity



The NVDRS software provides these codes in drop-down menus with a convenient user
interface.
For out-of-state addresses, the following website supplies FIPS place and county codes:
http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/download_data.htm. FIPS place codes are
frequently more specific than standard city/town designations. For example, they
frequently supply codes for neighborhoods of cities.

Note: Vital Statistics data use two coding systems for states: FIPS and their own system.
Please use the FIPS version here. It is okay to look up the zip code in a directory if it is not
provided.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

ResState
ResCounty
Place
ResAddres
ResZip
Countr
CensSt
CensBl

State
County
City
Address
ZIP code
Country
US Census tract
US Census block

Person
Person
Person
Person
Person
Person
Person
Person

Number
Number
Number
Text
Number
Text
Text
Text

Field
Length
100
3
5
50
5
45
7
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_RSTAT
MP_RCNTY
MP_RCITY
MP_RADDR
MP_RZIP
MP_RCNTR
---------

3-20

PR
PP_RSTAT
PP_RCNTY
PP_RCITY
PP_RADDR
PP_RZIP
PP_RCNTR
---------

DC
DP_RSTAT
DP_RCNTY
DP_RCITY
DP_RADDR
DP_RZIP
DP_RCNTR
DP_RCENT
DP_RCENB

Priority

Primacy

LR/ER/LR
LR/ER/LR
LR/ER/LR
LR/ER/LR
LR/ER/LR
LR/ER/LR
LR
LR

CME/DC/PR
CME/DC/PR
CME/DC/PR
CME/DC/PR
CME/DC/PR
CME/DC/PR
DC
DC

Section 4
Death Certificate Main Elements
Variable Label
Death Certificate number
Birth place
Country of birth if not listed
Veteran status
Marital status
Place of death
Place of death if other
Date pronounced dead
Date of death
State of death
Immediate cause of death text
Cause leading to immediate cause text
Next antecedent cause of death text
Underlying cause of death text
Underlying cause of death code
4th (character)
5th (character)
Autopsy performed
Person was pregnant
Manner of death
Date of injury
Time of injury
Type of location where injured
Injured at work
State of injury FIPS code
County of injury
City of injury FIPS code
Street and number of injury site
US Census block group of injury
US Census tract of injury
Survival time no. of units
Unit of time used in survival time
Education
Number years education
Usual occupation code

Variable Name

Page

DthCrtNum
BthPlc
BthTxt
Vetran
MarStat
Dthplace
PDthTx
PrncdDt
DthDt
DthState
CausIA
CausIB
CausIC
CausID
ICD_10
4th_ICD
5th_ICD
Autpsy
Preg
Manner
IDate
ITime
LocTyp
AtWork
InjState
County
InjPlace
InjAddres
CnsBlk
CnsTrt
Surviv
Sunit
Educ
OldEduc
UsuOcc

4-3
4-4
4-6
4-7
4-8
4-9
4-9
4-11
4-12
4-13
4-15
4-15
4-15
4-15
4-16
4-16
4-16
4-21
4-22
4-24
4-26
4-26
4-28
4-30
4-32
4-32
4-32
4-32
4-32
4-32
4-35
4-35
4-37
4-37
4-39

Variable Label
Usual occupation text
Kind of business/industry code
Usual industry text
Multiple conditions codes 1-20
4th (character)
5th (character)

Variable Name

Page

UsOcTx
Indust
IndTxt
Mult1001 through
Mult1020
Mult1001D4
through
Mult1020D4
Mult1001D5
through
Mult1020D5

4-39
4-39
4-39
4-41
4-41

4-41

Death Certificate

Death Certificate Number:

DthCrtNum

Data Sources: DC
NVDRS Name
DthCrtNum

Definition
Victim’s death certificate number

Response Options:
Death certificate number
9
Unknown
Uses
The death certificate number is used only for data linkage and tracking purposes at the state
level.
Discussion
None
Analysis
Name

Label

DthCrtNum Death Certificate Number

Table

Type

Person

Text

Field
Length
50

Priority Primacy
ER

DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DPDCID

4-3

Death Certificate

Birth place:

BthPlc

Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
BthPlc

Definition
Person’s state of birth

Response Options:
1
Alabama
2
Alaska
3
Arizona
4
Arkansas
5
California
6
Colorado
7
Connecticut
8
Delaware
9
District of Columbia
10
Florida
11
Georgia
12
Hawaii
13
Idaho
14
Illinois
15
Indiana
16
Iowa
17
Kansas
18
Kentucky
19
Louisiana
20
Maine
21
Maryland
22
Massachusetts
23
Michigan
24
Minnesota
25
Mississippi
26
Missouri
27
Montana
28
Nebraska
29
Nevada
30
New Hampshire
31
New Jersey

32
New Mexico
33
New York
34
North Carolina
35
North Dakota
36
Ohio
37
Oklahoma
38
Oregon
39
Pennsylvania
40
Rhode Island
41
South Carolina
42
South Dakota
43
Tennessee
44
Texas
45
Utah
46
Vermont
47
Virginia
48
Washington
49
West Virginia
50
Wisconsin
51
Wyoming
52
Puerto Rico
53
Virgin Islands
54
Guam
55
Canada
56
Cuba
57
Mexico
61
American Samoa
62
Northern Marianas
88
Remainder of the world
(specify in birthplace text)
99
Unknown

Uses
Used for identifying state in which a person was born.
Discussion
The state of birth is indicated on the death certificate and is coded by the vital statistics
registry using the code list above. Note: the code list used for place of birth is not a FIPS

4-4

Death Certificate
code list, it is the National Center for Health Statistics code list. If the victim was not born in
the United States, please enter the victim’s country of birth and refer to code list for Country.
Analysis
Name Label
Table Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
BthPlc Birth place Person Number 2
LR/LR DC/CME
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPBPLACE

DC
DPBPLACE

4-5

Death Certificate

Country of birth, if not listed: Bthtxt
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
BthTxt

Definition
Person’s country of birth, if not the U.S. and not listed in
BthPlc

Response Options:
BthTxt
Refer to Countr
Uses
Used for identifying country where the person was born. Used for identifying immigrants.
Discussion
The state of birth is indicated on the death certificate and is coded by the vital statistics
registry using the code list below. Note: the code list used for place of birth is not a FIPS
code list; it is the National Center for Health Statistics code list. If the victim was not born in
the United States, please enter the victim’s country of birth and refer to code list for Country.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

BthTxt

Country of birth, text

Person

Text

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPBPLACT

4-6

DC
DPBPLACT

Field
Length
30

Priority Primacy
LR/LR

DC/CME

Death Certificate

Veteran status: Vetran
Data Sources: DC
NVDRS Name
Vetran

Definition
Has the person served in the U.S. Armed Forces

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
9
Unknown
Uses
Used to examine veteran status among violent injury deaths.
Discussion
Veteran status is indicated on the death certificate in section “Ever in U.S. Armed Forces”. If
a state’s death certificate has the variant wording, “If U.S. War veteran, specify war,” a blank
or missing response should be coded as “Unknown” rather than “No”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Vetran

Veteran Status

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR

DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DPVETST

4-7

Death Certificate

Marital status: MarStat
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
DthCrtNum

Definition
Person’s martial status

Response Options:
1
Married
2
Never Married
3
Widowed
4
Divorced
5
Married, but separated
6
Single, not otherwise specified
9
Unknown
Uses
The victim’s marital status is standard demographic information used in epidemiologic
analyses. It can be used to explore whether certain types of marital status are associated with
violent death (such as an association between widowhood and suicide).
Discussion
Marital status is regularly completed on the death certificate and often noted in law
enforcement or medical examiner records.
 Marital status should be completed for persons of all ages, including children.
 If the marital status is not explicitly noted, code as 9, “Unknown”.
 In an incident in which a person kills his or her spouse, marital status should be coded as
“Married”, not “Widowed”. Use “Widowed” for a person of either sex whose spouse has
died. Use the “Single, not otherwise specified” option when this term is used in CME
records and it is not clear whether the person was never married, widowed, divorced, or
separated.
 If a source document describes a person as being in a common-law marriage, code this as
“married.”
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

MarStat

Marital Status

Person

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_MS

4-8

DC
DP_MS

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

DC/CME

Death Certificate

Place of death: Dthplace
Place of death if other: PDthTx
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
Dthplace
PDthTx

Definition
Victim’s place of death
Text if place of death is “Other”

Response Options:
Dthplace
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9

Hospital inpatient
ED/outpatient
Dead on arrival
Hospice facility
Nursing home, long-term care facility
Decedent’s home
Other (specify)
Undetermined

Uses
The place of death may be useful for emergency response planning and to assist in evaluating
hospital or EMS services.
Discussion
The code list for Place of Death is the list used on the new standard U.S. death certificate.
The older standard certificate uses slightly different codes (e.g., there is no separate code for
“Hospice,” and “residence” is used rather than “Decedent’s home”.)
 If your state uses the older code list, “residence” is comparable to “Decedent’s home”
(although this may sometimes be incorrect).
 Some deaths will be coded on the death certificate as “Other” for place of death. This
will usually refer to “scene” deaths (e.g., a homicide victim who dies on the street). If
“Other” is coded on the death certificate, enter the place of death in the free text field if
the place is specified on the death certificate. If it is not, leave the text field blank. In the
free text field, do not enter an address or proper name that could identify the location.
Only enter a general description of the place (e.g., bridge, road, forest, field, etc)
 Do not enter the information supplied in the death certificate’s item, “Place of injury”, as
this may be a different location than the place where the victim actually died.
 “Body location” can be used as place of death if there is no indication that the person
died elsewhere.

4-9

Death Certificate
Analysis
Name
Label
Table Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
Dthplace Place of death
Person Number 1
ER/LR DC/CME
PDthTx Place of death if other Person Text
30
LR/LR DC/CME
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPDOPL
MPDOPLO

4-10

DC
DPDOPL
DPDOPLO

Death Certificate

Date pronounced dead: PrncdDt
Data Sources: DC
NVDRS Name
PrncdDt

Definition
Date on which the victim was found or pronounced dead

Response Options:
Date
9’s for any unknown date elements in MM/DD/YYYY format
06/99/2007 for June 2007 with the day unknown
99/99/2007 for 2007 with the month and day unknown
99/99/9999 for the year, month and day unknown
Uses
This variable is useful when a person is found dead and the actual date of death is unclear. It
provides a date that the death must have preceded.
Discussion
This field is found on the standard death certificate as Item 24, “Date pronounced dead”. It
should differ from the actual date of death only when death was not observed and may have
occurred prior to the date the body was found. This date should be known in every case,
whereas the day, month, or even year of actual death may be unknown.
Examples
A man is found dead in his home by a relative on June 5, 2005. The body is badly
decomposed and it is unknown what day he actually died. The date of pronouncement is
06/05/2005. The actual date of death is unknown.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

PrncdDt

Date pronounced dead

Person

Text

Field
Length
10

Priority

Primacy

ER

DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DPDATPRO

4-11

Death Certificate

Date of death: DthDt
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
DthDt

Definition
Date of victim’s death

Response Options:
Date
9’s for any unknown date elements in DD/MM/YYYY format
99/06/2007 for June 2007 with the day unknown
99/99/2007 for 2007 with the month and day unknown
99/99/9999 for the year, month and day unknown
Uses
Date of death determines the data year in which the victim will be counted in conjunction
with date and time of the incident and with survival time. It can be used for emergency
response planning and to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of EMS services and hospital
care.
Discussion
When recording the information from the death certificate, enter the date of death exactly as
it appears in the “Date of Death” field, even if the word “found” or “pronounced” precedes it
on the hard copy.
 If the date on the CME report is referred to as an actual date of death, record it.
 If the date is referred to as the date on which the body was found or the death was
pronounced, and it is unknown on which date the death actually occurred, enter only that
portion of the date that is known.
Examples
A person was last seen on a Friday and the body was discovered on a Monday. It is unknown
exactly when the person died. Enter the actual month and year, but enter “99” for the day.
Analysis
Name Label
Table Type Field Length Priority Primacy
DthDt Date of Death Person Text 10
ER/LR DC/CME
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPDOD

4-12

DC
DPDOD

Death Certificate

State of death: DthState
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
DthState

Definition
State in which the death occurred

Response Options:
1
2
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey

35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
60
64
66
68
69
70
74
78
88
99

New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
American Samoa
Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Marshall Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Virgin Islands of the U.S.
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Identifies the state in which the death certificate was filed. This variable will be used to
facilitate data sharing across states when state of injury and state of death differ.

4-13

Death Certificate
Discussion
State of death will usually be the same as state of injury; however, on occasion the two will
differ. This is true for victims who are injured in one state and transported to another state for
emergency medical care.
 If the state of death is unknown, enter the state in which the person was pronounced dead,
i.e., the state that issued the death certificate.
 If the person was pronounced dead in a U.S. territory, enter the FIPS code for that
territory.
 If the person was not pronounced dead in any U.S. state or territory, enter 88, for “Not
applicable”.
 A death on a Native American reservation should be coded as the state in which it is
located or, if the reservation spans multiple states, based on state borders.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

DthState

State of Death

Person

Number

Field
Length
2

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPDSTATE

4-14

PR
PPDSTATE

DC
DPDSTATE

Priority

Primacy

ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

Death Certificate

CAUSE OF DEATH
Immediate cause of death text:
Cause leading to immediate cause text:
Next antecedent cause of death text:
Underlying cause of death text:

CausIA
CausIB
CausIC
CausID

Data Sources: DC
NVDRS Name
CausIA
CausIB
CausIC
CausID

Definition
Immediate cause of death (text)
Cause leading to the immediate cause of death (text)
Next antecedent cause of death (text)
Underlying cause of death (text)

Response Options: Text as it appears on death certificate
Uses
The text that the death certifier supplies on the death certificate regarding the causes of death
can be used to identify reportable cases in a timely manner. While coded data that captures
the underlying cause of death using ICD codes is an efficient means of identifying confirmed
cases, these coded data will not be available in some states for many months.
Discussion
Enter the text exactly as it appears on the death certificate. The letters in the variable names
correspond to the lettered lines appearing on the death certificate. Some death certificates
will not have an entry on all four lines, so not all four variables need to be completed.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type Field
Length
Person Text 120
Person Text 120

CausIA Immediate cause of death text
CausIB Cause leading to the
immediate cause text
Next antecedent cause of death
CausIC
Person Text
text
CausID Underlying cause of death text Person Text

Priority Primacy
ER
LR

DC
DC

120

LR

DC

120

LR

DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DPCAUSEA
DPCAUSEB
DPCAUSEC
DPCAUSEU
4-15

Death Certificate

Underlying cause of death code: ICD_10
4th: 4th_ICD
5th: 5th_ICD
Data Sources: DC
NVDRS Name
ICD_10
4th_ICD
5th_ICD

Definition
Underlying cause-of-death code (ICD-10)
4th (character)
5th (character)

Response Options:
ICD_10
ICD_10 Format: L##.## (the first character must be a letter, followed by at least two
and up to four digits)
Use L99.99 for missing values.
ICD-10 coding of first 3 to 4 characters (cause of injury):
U01
Assault by terrorism
U01.0
Assault by terrorism by explosion of marine weapons
U01.1
Assault by terrorism involving destruction of aircraft
U01.2
Assault by terrorism involving other explosions and fragments
U01.3
Assault by terrorism involving fires, conflagration, hot substances
U01.4
Assault by terrorism involving firearms
U01.5
Assault by terrorism involving nuclear weapons
U01.6
Assault by terrorism involving biological weapons
U01.7
Assault by terrorism involving chemical weapons
U01.8
Assault by terrorism, other specified
U01.9
Assault by terrorism, unspecified
U02
Sequelae of terrorism
U03
Intentional self-harm by terrorism
U03.0
Intentional self-harm by terrorism involving explosions and fragments
U03.9
Intentional self-harm by terrorism by other and unspecified means
W32
Accidental handgun discharge
W33
Accidental rifle, shotgun, and larger firearm discharge
W34
Accidental discharge from other and unspecified firearms (this code does
not discriminate between firearms and non-powder guns)
X60–X69
Intentional self-poisoning
X70
Intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation, and suffocation
X71
Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion
X72
Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge
X73
Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun, and larger firearm discharge
X74
Intentional self-harm by other and unspecified firearm discharge
X75
Intentional self-harm by explosive material
4-16

Death Certificate
X76
X77
X78
X79
X80
X81
X82
X83
X84
X85
X86
X87
X88
X89
X90
X91
X92
X93
X94
X95
X96
X97
X98
X99
Y00
Y01
Y02
Y03
Y04
Y05
Y06
Y07
Y08
Y09
Y10
Y11
Y12
Y13
Y14
Y15

Intentional self-harm by smoke, fire, and flames
Intentional self-harm by steam, hot vapors, and hot objects
Intentional self-harm by sharp object
Intentional self-harm by blunt object
Intentional self-harm by jumping from a high place
Intentional self-harm by jumping or lying before moving object
Intentional self-harm by crashing a motor vehicle
Intentional self-harm by other specified means
Intentional self-harm by unspecified means
Assault by drugs, medicaments, and biological substances
Assault by corrosive substance
Assault by pesticides
Assault by gases and vapors
Assault by other specified chemicals and noxious substances
Assault by other unspecified chemicals and noxious substances
Assault by hanging, strangulation, and suffocation
Assault by drowning and submersion
Assault by handgun discharge
Assault by rifle, shotgun, and larger firearm discharge
Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge
Assault by explosive material
Assault by smoke, fire, and flames
Assault by steam, hot vapors, and hot objects
Assault by sharp object
Assault by blunt object
Assault by pushing from high place
Assault by pushing or placing victim before moving object
Assault by crashing a motor vehicle
Assault by bodily force (unarmed brawl or fight)
Sexual assault by bodily force
Neglect and abandonment
Other maltreatment syndromes (physical or sexual abuse, torture)
Assault by other specified means
Assault by unspecified means
Poisoning by and exposure to non-opioid analgesics, antipyretics, and
anti-rheumatics undetermined intent
Poisoning by and exposure to antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsonism, and psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified,
undetermined intent
Poisoning by and exposure to narcotics and psychodysleptics
hallucinogens, not elsewhere classified, undetermined intent
Poisoning by and exposure to other drugs acting on the autonomic nervous
system, undetermined intent
Poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified drugs, medicaments,
and biological substances, undetermined intent
Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent

4-17

Death Certificate
Y16

Poisoning by and exposure to organic solvents and halogenated
hydrocarbons and their vapors, undetermined intent
Y17
Poisoning by and exposure to other gases and vapors, undetermined intent
Y18
Poisoning by and exposure to pesticides, undetermined intent
Y19
Poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified chemicals and noxious
substances, undetermined intent
Y20
Hanging, strangulation, and suffocation, undetermined intent
Y21
Drowning and submersion, undetermined intent
Y22
Handgun discharge, undetermined intent
Y23
Rifle, shotgun, and larger firearm discharge, undetermined intent
Y24
Other and unspecified firearm discharge, undetermined intent
Y25
Contact with explosive material, undetermined intent
Y26
Exposure to smoke, fire, and flames, undetermined intent
Y27
Contact with steam, hot vapors, and hot objects, undetermined intent
Y28
Contact with sharp object, undetermined intent
Y29
Contact with blunt object, undetermined intent
Y30
Falling, jumping, or pushed from a high place, undetermined intent
Y31
Falling, lying, or running before or into moving object, undetermined intent
Y32
Crashing of motor vehicle, undetermined intent
Y33
Other specified events, undetermined intent
Y34
Unspecified event, undetermined intent
Y35.0
Legal intervention involving firearm discharge
Y35.1
Legal intervention involving explosives
Y35.2
Legal intervention involving gas
Y35.3
Legal intervention involving blunt objects
Y35.4
Legal intervention involving sharp objects
Y35.6
Legal intervention involving other specified means
Y35.7
Legal intervention, means unspecified
Y86
Sequelae of other accidents (where determined to be due to firearms)
Y87.0
Sequelae of intentional self-harm
Y87.1
Sequelae of assault
Y87.2
Sequelae of events of undetermined intent
Y89.0
Sequelae of legal intervention
Y89.9
Sequelae of unspecified external cause
L88.88
Not applicable*
L99.99
Unknown or missing*
*Not an ICD-10 code, but an added code
4th_ICD
ICD-10 coding of 4th character (type of place of occurrence) — applies only
to codes in the W32 to Y34 range above, except Y06 and Y07.
0
Home
1
Residential institution
2
School, institution, public administrative area (e.g., courthouse,
hospital, daycare center)
3
Sports and athletic area

4-18

Death Certificate
4
5
6
7
8
9

Street and highway
Trade and service area
Industrial and construction (e.g., factory, shipyard)
Farm
Other
Unspecified

5th_ICD
ICD-10 Coding of 5th character (type of activity when injured) — applies only
to codes in the W32 to Y34 range above.
0
While engaged in sports activity
1
While engaged in leisure activity
2
While working for income
3
While engaged in other types of work (e.g., chores, school)
4
While resting, sleeping, eating, or engaging in other vital activities
5
While engaged in other specified activities
6
While engaged in unspecified activities
Uses
The underlying cause of death assigned on the death certificate is the basis for the nation’s
official count of deaths due to homicide, suicide, and other causes. A comparison of this
variable and the CME variable “Manner”, and the abstractor variable “Type of Death”, will
indicate the degree to which data sources vary in classifying deaths.
Discussion
Cause of death is coded using the system established by the World Health Organization’s
International Classification of Diseases (ICD). A variable should be coded exactly as it
appears in the underlying cause of death field in death certificate data.
 If death certificate data are not available at the time that the reporting site is gathering
data on the case, code as Unknown. These data may be reported at a later update. Use the
decimal point following the second digit. Do not use trailing zeros after the decimal point
(unless a true zero is part of the actual code). The code options listed below indicate
codes in the reportable range.
 The fourth ICD-10 digit in the underlying cause of death code is used with some external
cause code categories to identify the place of occurrence of the external cause where
relevant.
 The fifth ICD-10 digit is provided for optional use in a supplementary character position
with some categories to indicate the activity of the injured person at the time the event
occurred. This sub-classification should not be confused with, or be used instead of, the
recommended fourth-character subdivisions provided to indicate the place of occurrence.

4-19

Death Certificate

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

ICD_10

Underlying cause of death
code
4th (character)
5th (character)

Person

Text

Priority Primacy
Field
Length
6
LR
DC

Person
Person

Text
Text

1
1

4th_ICD
5th_ICD

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DPICD10C
DPCAUSU4
DPCAUSU5

4-20

LR
LR

DC
DC

Death Certificate

Autopsy performed: Autpsy
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
Autpsy
Response Options:
0
1
9

Definition
Autopsy performed on the person
Not autopsied
Autopsied (full or partial)
Unknown

Uses
Decedents who have been autopsied are likely to have more reliable cause of death codes and
pregnancy findings.
Discussion
A yes/no item appears on the death certificate to indicate if an autopsy was performed.
Autopsies are not always performed on every case that comes to the attention of a CME. A
“visual-only autopsy” (that is, the body was visually inspected, but not physically examined)
does not qualify as an autopsy here.
Example
 A witnessed suicide may not be autopsied. In some cases, a partial autopsy may be
performed. If so, code this variable “1.”
 A person who kills him or herself with a gunshot wound to the head may receive a headonly autopsy. If so, code this variable “1”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Field
Priority
Length

Autpsy

Autopsy performed

Person

Number 1

LR/ER

Primacy
CME/DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPAUTPSY

DC
DPAUTPSY

4-21

Death Certificate

Person was pregnant: Preg
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
Preg

Definition
Person was pregnant or recently pregnant at the time of death

Response Options:
0
Not pregnant within last year
1
Pregnant at time of death
2
Not pregnant but pregnant w/in 42 days of death
3
Not pregnant but pregnant 43 days to 1 year before death
4
Not pregnant, not otherwise specified
5
Pregnant, not otherwise specified
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown if pregnant within past year
Uses
This variable is used to identify pregnant or recently pregnant victims and to document types
of violence against pregnant and postpartum women. It is also useful in documenting a
potentially precipitating circumstance in suicide cases.
Discussion
Victim’s pregnancy status is often noted on the death certificate and in the CME report.
Findings are more likely to be authoritative if a full autopsy has been performed.
 This variable should be coded for all female victims regardless of age.
 The variable will not apply to males and should be coded ‘8’ for not applicable.
 This variable is based on the codes used on the new U.S. standard death certificate. As
such, it collects pregnancy status at the time of death, not at the time of injury.
 Code “Unknown if pregnant within past year”, regardless of the victim’s age, if the
victim’s pregnancy status is not mentioned on the record for the CME version of the
variable or for states that have added their own pregnancy variable to their death
certificate. If the victim is noted by the CME or death certificate as “Not pregnant”, but
there is no mention as to whether she was pregnant in the year preceding her death, code
the variable as “Unknown if pregnant within past year”.
 If your state’s death certificate has a pregnancy variable that does not match the national
standard, use the 4 and 5 options to capture this information on the DC screen. Continue
to use the 0–3 options to code this information on the CME screen.
Example
 If a pregnant woman was assaulted, miscarried, and died a month later, she would be
coded in the CME version of the variable as “Not pregnant but pregnant within 42 days
of death,” not as “Pregnant at time of death”.

4-22

Death Certificate
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Preg

Person was pregnant

Person

Priority
Field
Length
Number 1
LR/LR
Type

Primacy
CME/DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPPREG

DC
DPPREG

4-23

Death Certificate

Manner of death: Manner
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
Manner

Definition
Manner of death

Response Options:
1
Natural
2
Accident
3
Suicide
4
Homicide
5
Pending investigation
6
Could not be determined
7
Legal intervention
9
Record not available or blank
Uses
Manner of death is a broad classification of the cause of death as natural, accidental, suicide,
homicide, pending investigation, or not determined. Manner is determined by the coroner or
medical examiner and, when considered in conjunction with the narrative cause of death
statements on the death certificate, is the basis for how the official underlying cause of death
is coded in vital statistics data. Data describing the manner of death are useful for public
health surveillance, for health care planning and administration, and for clinical and health
services, and epidemiologic research. Because the CME’s manner of death sometimes
contradicts the manner implied by the death certificate’s underlying cause-of-death code, the
police designation of the death, or the death type assigned to the victim by the abstractor, it is
useful to document manner by source.
Discussion
CMEs investigate suspicious injury deaths and determine the likely manner of death using a
check box on the death certificate.
 Record the manner of death exactly as it appears on the death certificate and CME report.
 If a manner is noted as “Pending investigation,” check back on the case later to update
the manner. “Pending” is considered a temporary designation.
 Since states’ death certificates may have a state-added code to indicate “Legal
intervention” as the manner of death, code “Legal intervention” only if it is presented on
the death certificate (the abstractor-assigned type of death variable can capture legal
intervention deaths that are not coded on the death certificate in that fashion).
 Do not use the DC manner for the CME manner field even if the DC is found in the ME
records. Record the manner from the CME records.

4-24

Death Certificate
Analysis
Name
Label
Table Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
Manner Manner of death Person Number 1
LR/ER CME/DC
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPMANNER

DC
DPMANNER

4-25

Death Certificate

Date of injury: IDate
Time of injury: ITime
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
IDate
ITime

Definition
Date of injury
Time of Injury

Response Options:
IDate
mm\dd\yyyy
You must load “mm” and “dd” as two-digit numbers (e.g., “06” for June, not “6”)
ITime
####
Uses
Date of injury can be used to examine trends over time in violent deaths, to detect epidemics,
and to test for seasonal effects on violent death. Time of injury can be used to identify times
of day incidents may be more likely to occur. Date and time of injury can also be used to
interpret toxicology test results.
Discussion
Exact date and time of injury are sometimes unknown, as in an un-witnessed suicide or
homicide.
 Do not enter date that the victim was last seen if actual date of injury is unknown. The
software allows for partially known date information to be entered.
 If month and day are unknown, but the year is known, code the date as, for example,
99/99/2003.
 If no information is known about when the incident occurred (as in when skeletal remains
are found), it is acceptable to code date of injury as 99/99/9999.
 If a range of greater than one hour is noted for the time of injury (e.g., “sometime
between 9:30 a.m. and noon”), treat time as unknown.
 If a range of less than an hour is given (e.g., “around 9:30 a.m.” or “between 9:30 and
10:30”), code that as the lowest time in the range (0930 in both cases).
 Time of injury is coded using the 24-hour military format. Midnight is 0000.
Example
 If a suicide victim was last seen July 6th, 2003, and the body was discovered July 7th, but
the day the victim was injured was unknown, date of injury can be coded as 07/99/2003.

4-26

Death Certificate
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

IDate
ITime

Date of injury
Time of injury

Person
Person

Text
Text

Field
Length
10
5

Priority

Primacy

ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR
ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPIODATE
MPIOTIME

PR
PPIODATE
PPIOTIME

DC
DPIODATE
DPIOTIME

4-27

Death Certificate

Type of location where injured: LocTyp
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
LocTyp

Definition
Type of place at which the injury occurred

Response Options:
LocTyp
1
House, apartment, including driveway, porch, yard
2
Street/road, sidewalk, alley
3
Highway, freeway
4
Motor vehicle (excluding school bus, 15 and public transportation, 21)
5
Bar, nightclub
6
Service station
7
Bank, credit union, ATM location
8
Liquor store
9
Other commercial establishment (e.g., grocery store,
retail outlet, laundromat), including parking lot
10
Industrial or construction areas (e.g., factory, warehouse)
11
Office building
12
Parking lot/public parking garage (e.g., parking lot at mall,
parking lot shared by four or more households)
13
Abandoned house, building, or warehouse
14
Sports or athletic area (e.g., stadium, baseball field, gymnasium,
recreation center)
15
School bus
16
Child care center, daycare, preschool
17
Elementary school, middle school (i.e., K-8) including school
dormitory, residential school
18
High school. including school dormitory, residential school
19
College/University, including dormitory, fraternity/sorority
20
Unspecified school
21
Public transportation or station (e.g., bus, train, plane, airport,
depot, taxi)
22
Synagogue, church, temple
23
Hospital, medical facility or nursing home
24
Supervised residential facility (e.g., shelter, halfway house,
group home)
25
Farm
26
Jail, prison, detention facility
27
Park, playground, public use area
28
Natural area (e.g., field, river, beaches, woods)
29
Hotel/motel
66
Other (e.g., on railroad tracks)
99
Unknown

4-28

Death Certificate

Uses
Data on the type of place at which an injury occurred help to describe the injury-producing
event and are valuable for planning and evaluating prevention programs.
Discussion
Code the location at which the victim was injured.
 Designations of specific buildings (such as “House, apartment” or “Bar, nightclub”)
include both the building itself and the area directly outside, such as a driveway, porch, or
front walk.
 If a victim was injured in a variety of locations (e.g., the victim was stabbed on a bus and
was pursued by the attacker off the bus and into a store and stabbed a second time), code
the location at which the victim was first injured.
 Events that occur on public sidewalks should be coded as “Street”, with the exception of
those occurring on sidewalks that are the private property of an adjacent building. Those
should be coded to the building.
Example: An incident that occurs on a walkway on the front lawn
of a home should be coded as “House, apartment”.






If an incident occurs in a garage at a private home, code “House, apartment”.
If an incident occurs in a commercial parking garage, parking lot, or a garage used by
four or more different households (e.g., a garage serving a large apartment building),
code the location as “12 – Parking lot/public parking garage”.
If an incident occurs while the victim is in a motor vehicle, please code “4 – Motor
vehicle” rather than the location of the motor vehicle. Injury “site”, injury “location”, and
injury “scene” can all be used as synonyms.
If the injury occurred in a “home,” put down “House, apartment” even if it is not certain
that this was the victim’s home.
Victims who jump from bridges or overpasses onto another surface should be coded as
“street/road” or “highway, freeway” depending on the type of road on which the bridge
was located.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

LocTyp Type of location
where injured

Type

Field
Length
Person Number 2

Priority

Primacy

ER/LR/LR DC/PR/CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPIOPLAF

PR
PPIOPLAF

DC
DPIOPLAF

4-29

Death Certificate

Injured at work: AtWork
Data Sources: DC/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
AtWork

Definition
Injury occurred at work or while the person was working

Response Options:
0 No, injury did not occur at work or while the victim was working
1 Yes, injury occurred at work or while the victim was working
8 Not applicable (e.g., child, unemployed, retiree)
9 Unknown
Uses
Knowing the relationship of the incident to a person’s work can help determine the impact of
violence and suicide in the workplace and can be used to plan and develop work-related
violence prevention programs.
Discussion
“AtWork” includes those incidents that occur while the person is at work or working. These
injuries could occur at the person’s place of work or off-site during the course of workrelated activities. The AtWork definition applies only to current jobs. The “Injured at work”
item on the death certificate is supposed to be filled out for all injury victims with the
exception of those less than age 14 (unless warranted for a younger child injured at work).
“Not applicable” can therefore be coded for victims ages 13 years and younger.
Examples
Yes
 while engaged in work activity, apprenticing, or in vocational training on site at the
employers premises (regardless of the relationship between the victim
and suspect);
 while on break, in hallways, restroom, cafeteria, or storage area on site at the employers
premises;
 while working, arriving or leaving on site employer parking lots;
 while working for pay or compensation, at any location, including at home (includes
moonlighting from another job for pay);
 while working as a volunteer EMS, firefighter, or law enforcement officer;
 while working in a family business, including family farm (activity should
be clearly related to a profit-oriented business);
 while traveling on business, including to and from customer/business contacts;
 while engaged in work activity where a vehicle is considered the work
environment. (person who is murdered while driving a truck to deliver produce; while
driving a company car to a work site, while operating a vehicle such as an ice cream
truck, taxi, or construction site vending vehicle).

4-30

Death Certificate
No
 commuting to or from work (a person who is shot while commuting between work and
home would not be considered to have suffered a work-related injury);
 engaging in criminal activity as a means of economic support;
 engaging in recreational activities on employer controlled facilities (e.g., games) for
personal enjoyment on employer premises;
 while victim was visiting employer premises for non-work purposes (i.e., not on official
business);
 working as a homemaker at homemaking activities;
 engaging in school activities while enrolled as a student;
 while engaged in recreational activites, hobbies, or personal chores for no profit (e.g.,
mowing yard, repairing own roof);
 operating a vehicle (personal or commercial) for non-work purposes.
Analysis
Name

Label

Priority
Primacy
Field
Length
Person Number 1
ER/LR/LR DC/PR/CME
Table

AtWork Injured at work

Type

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPATWORK

PR
PPATWORK

DC
DPATWORK

4-31

Death Certificate

INJURY ADDRESS
State of injury FIPS code:
County of Injury FIPS code:
City of injury FIPS code:
Street and number of injury site:
US Census block group of injury:
US Census tract of injury:

InjState
County
InjPlace
InjAddres
CnsBlk
CnsTrt

Data Sources:
NVDRS Name
InjState
County
InjPlace
InjAddres
CnsBlk
CnsTrt

Definition
State in which injury was inflicted
County in which injury was inflicted (FIPS Code)
City/town in which injury was inflicted (FIPS Code)
Street address at which injury was inflicted
Census block in which injury was inflicted
Census tract in which injury was inflicted

Response Options:
InjState
1
2
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
4-32

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts

26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47

Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee

Death Certificate
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
60

Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
American Samoa

64
66
68
69
70
74
78
88
99

Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Marshall Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
Virgin Islands of the U.S.
Not applicable
Unknown

County
999

Unknown

99999

Unknown

InjPlace
InjAddres
9

Unknown

9

Unknown

CnsBlk
9999.99

Unknown

CnsBlk

Uses
The address of the incident is used to determine the agency responsible for potential public
health interventions; to gain information about the socioeconomic status (SES) of the
neighborhoods where injuries occur (via U.S. Census data); to map incidents; and to conduct
analyses of the distribution of cases by SES and geographic area.
Discussion
If the incident covers more than one address, code the address where the first injury was
inflicted. In some cases, there will not be an explicit address for the injury incident (e.g., in a
field or park). In these cases, record the nearest address or cross streets. If the nearest street
address or intersection is not available from the records, enter the place name, e.g., the name
of the park or beach. The address information should be collected at the local level in a
format that meets the local standards for geocoding. Reporting sites planning to geocode their
data at the local level can generate the census block group and tract where the incident
occurred from a geocoding program. In some states, the vital statistics registry or police
department will have already geocoded the address and will have census tract and block
group information available.
The county and city/town are coded using standard Federal Information Processing Standards
(FIPS) codes. These codes are provided in drop-down menus in the NVDRS software. For

4-33

Death Certificate
out-of-state addresses, the following website will supply FIPS county codes:
http://geonames.usgs.gov/fips55.html.

If the state of injury or country of injury is unknown, enter 99. If the place of injury is a
 U.S. territory, enter the FIPS code for that territory. If the place of injury was known to
be outside of the U.S. and its territories, enter 88 for “Not applicable.” An injury on a
Native American reservation should be coded as the state in which it is located or, if the
reservation spans multiple states, based on underlying state borders.
Note: Vital Statistics data use two coding systems for states: FIPS and their own system.
Please use the FIPS version here.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Priority
Field
Length

InjState

State of injury FIPS
code

Person

Number

2

ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

County

County of Injury

Person

Number

3

ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

Person

Number

5

ER/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

Person

Text

100

LR/LR/LR DC/CME/PR

Person

Text

1

LR

DC

Person

Text

7

LR

DC

City of injury FIPS code
InjPlace
InjAddres Street and number of
injury site
US Census block group
CnsBlk
of injury
US Census tract of
CnsTrt
injury

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPIOSTAT
MPIOCNTY
MPIOCITY
MPIOPLAC
---------

4-34

PR
PPIOSTAT
PPIOCNTY
PPIOCITY
PPIOPLAC
---------

DC
DPIOSTAT
DPIOCNTY
DPIOCITY
DPIOPLAC
DPIOCENB
DPIOCENT

Primacy

Death Certificate

Survival time no. of units:
Surviv
Unit of time used in survival time: Sunit
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
Surviv
Sunit

Definition
Interval between injury and death
Unit used to report interval between injury and death

Response Options:
Surviv
999 Unknown
Sunit
1
Minutes
2
Hours
3
Days
4
Years
5
Months
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
Survival time can be used to evaluate health outcome data and EMS system needs. It can also
be useful in interpreting toxicology test results.
Discussion
Survival time is noted on the death certificate in the section called “Approximate interval
between onset and death” to the right of the cause of death text. It is often either explicitly
mentioned in the CME’s report or it can be calculated based on date and time of injury and
death.
 If date and time of injury or death are not known, do not calculate survival based on the
interval between the time the person was last seen and the body found (unless that was
under two hours).
 Use only the survival time listed for the violent injury.
 Do not use the survival time listed for the consequences or complications of injury.
 Do not add the survival times listed next to each cause of death listed on the death
certificate.
 Indicate the length of survival interval in Surviv and the units of measurement for the
interval (e.g., minutes, hours, days) in Sunit.
o For under two hours, use minutes;
o for two hours through 47 hours, use hours;
o for 48 hours and over, use days;
o for 365 or more days, use years;
o Round to the nearest whole number.
 If survival time was noted as a range, use the high end of the range (e.g., 15–30 minutes,
use 30).
4-35

Death Certificate



If survival time is not precisely noted, indicate 999 in Surviv and the applicable unit in
Sunit (e.g., “patient survived a few minutes” would be 999 in Surviv and 1 [minutes] in
Sunit).
If death is described as “immediate,” “sudden,” or “instantaneous,” indicate 0 in Surviv
and 1 [minutes] in Sunit.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Surviv Survival time no. of units

Person

Sunit

Person

Unit of time used in survival time

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
DC
MPSURVT DPSURVT
MPSURVU DPSURVU

4-36

Priority Primacy

Number

Field
Length
3

LR/LR

DC/CME

Number

1

LR/LR

DC/CME

Death Certificate

Education: Educ
Number years education: OldEduc
Data Sources: DC/CME
NVDRS Name
Educ
OldEduc

Definition
Person’s education level
Number Years education

Response Options:
Educ
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
OldEduc
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
99

8th grade or less
9th to 12th grade; no diploma
High school graduate or GED completed
Some college credit, but no degree
Associate’s degree (e.g., AA, AS)
Bachelor’s degree (e.g., BA, AB, BS)
Master’s degree (e.g., MA, MS, Mend, Med, MSW, MBA)
Doctorate (e.g., PhD, EdD) or Professional degree
(e.g., MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD)
Unknown
0 years
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
6 years
7 years
8 years
9 years
10 years
11 years
12 years
13 years
14 years
15 years
16 years
17 years (or more)
Unknown

4-37

Death Certificate
Uses
The victim’s educational level is an important indicator of socioeconomic status and is used
in epidemiologic and other scientific analyses.
Discussion
The options for the “Education” variable are those on the 2003 death certificate. Since not all
states may have moved to the new format, the pre-2003 education format is provided in the
“Number years education” variable. Only one of the two options has to be completed on the
DC Main Elements screen.
 Vocational and trade school should be coded as “High school graduate”.
 For very young children who are not in school, code as 0.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Educ

Education

OldEduc Number years education
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_EDUC
-----

4-38

DC
DP_EDUC
DP_EDUCY

Type

Primacy

Person

Field
Priority
Length
Number 1
LR/LR

Person

Number 2

DC

LR

DC/CME

Death Certificate

USUAL OCCUPATION
Usual occupation code:
Usual Occupation text:
Kind of business/industry code:
Usual industry text:

UsuOcc
UsOcTx
Indust
IndTxt

Data Sources:
NVDRS Name
UsuOcc
UsOcTx
Indust
IndTxt

Definition
Usual Occupation of the victim as recorded on the death certificate
Victim’s usual occupation text
Victim’s usual business or industry code
Victim’s usual business/industry text

Response Options:
UsuOcc
UsOcTx
Indust
IndTxt
Uses
The victim’s usual occupation is an indicator of socioeconomic status and may be associated
with the occurrence of intentional injury. “Usual industry” is the kind of business or industry
to which the victim’s occupation is related, such as insurance, farming, or government.
Discussion
Most states’ registry of vital records encodes the decedent’s usual occupation and industry on
the death certificate. Usual occupation/industry is not necessarily the victim’s current
occupation/industry. Provide information exactly as it appears in the death certificate data. If
the text descriptor is recorded on the death certificate, and a numeric code is not provided,
report only the text information and use the code “080” to indicate that the actual code is
unavailable. The codes 999 for occupation and 090 for industry are assigned by the
Occupation and Industry coder to indicate “blank, unknown, or NA”. These codes should
only be used if they appear in the death certificate data. If text is provided describing the
occupation and industry, but no code is provided, sites should not code the information
themselves, as industry and occupation coding requires special training. If the death
certificate is blank, use the code “080” to indicate unavailable and use the text field to
indicate blank, unknown, or not available.

4-39

Death Certificate
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

UsuOcc

Usual occupation code

Person

UsOcTx Usual occupation text
Indust
IndTxt

Number

LR

DC

Person

Text

50

LR

DC

Kind of business/industry
code

Person

Number

3

LR

DC

Usual industry text

Person

Text

50

LR

DC

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DP_OCCUC
DP_OCCUT
DP_INDUC
DP_INDUT

4-40

Priority Primacy

Field
Length
3

Death Certificate

Multiple Condition Codes 1-20:
4th:
5th:

Mult1001 - Mult1020
Mult1004D4 - Mult1020D4
Mult1004D5 - Mult1020D5

Data Sources: DC
NVDRS Name
Mult1001 through Mult 1020
Mult1004D4 through Mult1020D4
Mult1004D5 through Mult1020D5

Definition
Describes the nature of the injury and other
conditions leading to death. Up to 20
multiple condition codes can be entered
4th character
5th character

Response Options:
Mult1001 thru Mult1020
Format: L##.## (the first character must be a letter, followed by at least two and up to
four digits)
L88.88
Not applicable*
L99.99
Unknown or missing*
*Not an ICD-10 code, but an added code (See page 4-17)
Mult1001D4 thru Mult1020D4
ICD-10 coding of 4th character (type of place of occurrence) — applies only
to codes in the W32 to Y34 range above, except Y06 and Y07.
0
Home
1
Residential institution
2
School, institution, public administrative area
(e.g., courthouse, hospital, daycare center)
3
Sports and athletic area
4
Street and highway
5
Trade and service area
6
Industrial and construction (e.g., factory, shipyard)
7
Farm
8
Other
9
Unspecified
Mult1001D5 thru Mult1020D5
ICD-10 Coding of 5th character (type of activity when injured) — applies only
to codes in the W32 to Y34 range above.
0
While engaged in sports activity
1
While engaged in leisure activity
2
While working for income
3
While engaged in other types of work (e.g., chores, school)
4
While resting, sleeping, eating, or engaging in other
vital activities
4-41

Death Certificate
5
6

While engaged in other specified activities
While engaged in unspecified activities

Uses
The “nature of injury” (or “multiple condition”) codes assigned to the death certificate
specify the anatomic location and nature of the injuries. This information may assist in
evaluating emergency medical response.
Discussion
Multiple condition codes are assigned by the registry of vital records to death certificate
records to indicate the nature of injuries and diseases leading to death. Codes are based on
the International Classification of Diseases 10th edition coding protocols, thus “Mult10”. The
underlying cause of death code is captured in a separate variable on the DC Main Elements
screen. The Mult10 elements should be coded exactly as they are coded in the multiple cause
of death fields in death certificate data. These codes can include both diagnosis codes (nature
of injury and disease) and external cause of injury codes. Codes should be entered with
decimal points in the fourth position. No more than 20 codes can be entered.
The fourth ICD-10 digit in the underlying cause of death code is used with external cause
code categories W00 to Y34 (except for Y06. and Y07.) to identify the place of occurrence of
the external cause where relevant. The fifth digit is provided for optional use in a
supplementary character position with external cause categories W00 to Y34 to indicate the
activity of the injured person at the time the event occurred. This sub-classification should
not be confused with, or be used instead of, the recommended fourth-character subdivisions
provided to indicate the place of occurrence.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Mult1001 to
Mult1020
Mult1001D4 to
Multl020D4
Mult1001D5 to
Multl020D5

Multiple conditions on
Death Certificate 1 to 20
4th for conditions 1 to 20
5th for conditions 1 to 20

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
DC
DPCAUM01 to 20
DPCM4_01 to 20
DPCM5_01 to 20

4-42

Type

Primacy

Person Text

Field
Priority
Length
6
LR

Person Text

1

LR

DC

Person Text

1

LR

DC

DC

Section 5
Abstractor-Assigned Type of Death
Variable Label
Death type

Variable Name

Page

IncTyp

5-3

Type of Death

Death type: IncTyp
Data Sources: Abstractor assigned
NVDRS Name
IncTyp

Response Options:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Definition
Type of intent leading to the victim’s injury (e.g., homicide,
suicide) as assigned by the abstractor according to the NVDRS
protocol
Suicide or intentional self-harm
Homicide
Unintentional firearm– self-inflicted
Unintentional firearm– inflicted by other person
Unintentional firearm– unknown who inflicted
Legal intervention (by police or other authority)
Terrorism homicide
Terrorism suicide
Undetermined intent

Uses
A coding system to differentiate victims of interpersonal violence, intentional self-harm, and
unintentional injury is vital to any injury surveillance system because of the importance of
intent type to prevention strategies. This variable provides a uniform protocol for
categorizing intent type.
Discussion
The code is assigned by surveillance personnel based on reading death certificates, CME
reports and police information about the case. In some cases, Death Type may differ from the
manner of death assigned by the medical examiner because of the slight difference in
categories used and because medical examiner protocols for defining intent vary across
jurisdictions and across individual CMEs.






A clear unintentional shooting of one child by another, for example, may be categorized
as an accident by one medical examiner and a homicide by another. The protocol for
defining Death Type is included in the Definition section of the manual. Please read this
section. If the facts of the case are clear and not in dispute, apply the NVDRS definitions
in assigning Death Type.
If the facts of the case are unclear or in dispute, default to the CME’s determination of
manner. For example, if the record states, “Two 13-year-old adolescents were playing
around with a gun that they thought was unloaded when one unintentionally shot the
other,” even if the coroner classified the case as a homicide, code “IncTyp” as “4Unintentional, inflicted by other person”.
However, if the record stated “A 13-year-old teenager shot another 13-year-old;

5-3

Type of Death




conflicting reports exist as to whether the shooting was intentional,” default to the CME’s
classification of manner of death.
If an abstractor assigns a manner of death that does not coincide with the CME’s manner
of death, it must match a manner of death on at least one other document.
Some states define all ‘legal intervention’ deaths as homicides. NVDRS captures legal
intervention deaths and homicides separately. If after reviewing the CME and police
reports an abstractor is able to determine that a homicide was due to legal intervention,
the abstractor assigned manner should be coded legal intervention.
The purpose of this variable is not to second guess the CME or to enable an abstractor to
come to his or her own conclusion about the case; rather the purpose is to characterize
the conclusions of the official death investigation about the intent type of the incident by
using a uniform set of definitions of each intent type code

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

IncTyp

Death Type

Person

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor Assigned
YPMANNEA

5-4

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Number 1
LR

Primacy
SYS

Section 6
Coroner/Medical Examiner Main Elements
Note: The following CME variables have been discussed in previous sections of this manual:
date of death, manner of death, place of death, place of death if other, state of death, state of
injury FIPS code, county of injury, city of injury FIPS code, street and number of injury site,
injured at work, type of location where injured, time of injury, date of injury, survival time,
birth place, country of birth is not listed, marital status, person was pregnant, education and
autopsy performed. Please refer to the Person/DC sections for an explanation of coding.
The following are additional variables to be coded in the CME screens:
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Person attempted suicide during incident

Suic

6-3

ZIP code of injury

Zip

6-4

At person’s home

Reside

6-5

EMS

6-6

Homeless status

Homles

6-7

Current occupation

Occup

6-9

Custody

6-10

Alcohol use suspected

Intox

6-12

Date specimens were collected

SpcDt

6-14

Time specimens were collected

SpcTme

6-14

Testing for alcohol

AlchTs

6-15

Alcohol test results

AlchRs

6-15

BAC

6-17

AmphTs
AntiTs
CokeTs
MarjTs
OpiaTs
OtDrTs

6-19

EMS at scene

Victim in custody when injured

Blood alcohol concentration results
Testing for amphetamines
antidepressants
cocaine
marijuana
opiates
other substances

Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Amphetamine test results
antidepressant
cocaine
marijuana
opiate
other substance
Type of other substance

AmphRs
AntiRs
CokeRs
MarjRs
OpiaRs
OtDrRs
OthDrg

6-21

Number of wounds

NumWou

6-23

Number of bullets that hit victim

NumBul

6-23

Wound to the head
face
neck
upper extremity
spine
thorax
abdomen
lower extremity

Head
Face
Neck
UpExt
Spine
Thorax
Abdomn
LowExt

6-23

6-21

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Person attempted suicide during incident: Suic
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Suic

Definition
Suspect attempted suicide (fatally or non-fatally) during the incident

Response Options:
0
No, Not Collected, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
Although the incident-based nature of NVDRS enables researchers to identify cases
involving murder/suicide, there may be a scenario when a suspect injures himself but
survives. This data element therefore enables researchers to capture the range of murder/
suicide and murder/attempted suicide incidents. Murder/suicides are a violence subtype
prominent in cases of intimate partner violence and mass public shootings.
Discussion
This variable is suspect specific. Code "Suic" as “Yes” if a suspect attempted suicide
during the incident, whether the attempt was fatal or non-fatal. Refer to the Definitions
section of this document for guidance on whether a suicide is to be considered as part of
the same NVDRS incident as the homicide.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Suic

Person attempted
suicide after incident

Person

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Checkbox 1
LR/LR

Primacy
CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPSUICA

PR
PPSUICA

6-3

Coroner/Medical Examiner

ZIP code of injury: Zip
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Zip

Definition
Zip code in which injury occurred

Response Options:
88888 Not Applicable (e.g., outside of United States)
99999 Unknown
Uses
The address of the incident is used to determine the agency responsible for potential public
health interventions; to gain information about the socioeconomic status (SES) of the
neighborhoods in which injuries occur (via U.S. Census data); to map incidents; and to
conduct analyses of the case distribution by SES and geographic area. See the Introduction
section of this manual for a discussion about handling variables that can identify individual
persons or agencies. It is okay to look up the zip code in a directory if it is not provided.
Discussion
None
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Zip

ZIP code of injury

Person

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPIOZIP

6-4

PR
PPIOZIP

Field
Length
5

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Injury occurred at person’s home: Reside
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Reside

Definition
Injury occurred at the person’s residence

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
9
Unknown
Uses
Data about whether the injury occurred in the person’s residence can be used to further
characterize the incident and may be valuable for planning and evaluating injury prevention
programs. It can be used, for example, to evaluate the impact of laws or policies regulating
the use of firearms in public versus private locations, or to inform domestic violence
interventions.
Discussion
This variable is completed for each victim in an incident and is person-specific.
Examples
 A man shot his wife and his wife’s sister at the sister’s house. Reside is “No” for the
wife, but “Yes” for the sister.
 A victim in an institution (e.g., jail, locked mental health facility, long term care facility,
etc,) should be coded ‘no’ even though he/she resides in the institution.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Reside

At person’s home

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPRHOME

PR
PPRHOME

6-5

Coroner/Medical Examiner

EMS at scene: EMS
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
EMS

Definition
Were emergency medical services present at the scene of the injury incident?

Response Options:
0
No, EMS not at scene
1
Yes, EMS at scene
9
Unknown
Uses
EMS status can be used to describe the involvement of emergency medical services in
violent injury cases. This may assist in planning and evaluating EMS services and in
capturing costs associated with violence.
Discussion
Code "EMS" only to indicate the presence of medical services at the scene, not to
indicate whether any medical services were delivered. If the victim was transported from
the scene via ambulance, this variable may be coded “Yes.”
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

EMS

EMS at scene

Person

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPEMS

6-6

PR
PPEMS

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Homeless status: Homles
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Homles

Definition
Was person homeless at the time of the incident?

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
9
Unknown
Uses
This variable helps to describe how frequently the victims of violence are homeless.
Discussion
Homeless is defined here as having no fixed address and living in a shelter, on the street, in a
car, or in makeshift quarters in an outdoor setting.
 Persons who have no homes of their own, but are staying indefinitely with friends or
family are not considered homeless here.
 Marking this variable “Yes” means that there was some positive statement about being
homeless such as living in a car.
 Use the “Unknown” option when the residential address is stated as unknown and
homeless status is not otherwise known. Otherwise, mark this variable “No”.
 If you code homeless as “Yes”, you must code “At Person’s Home” as “No”. A person
cannot be homeless if he or she was injured at home. Being injured at a shelter, on the
street, in their car or makeshift quarters in an outdoor setting is not considered being
injured at home.
Examples
Yes
 A victim did not have a place to live so an acquaintance told him he could stay in his
abandoned storage facility.
 A victim was ‘living’ in a squatter’s camp with over 50 other homeless people and had a
plywood shelter.
No
 A victim has no home of her own, but is staying indefinitely with a friend.
Analysis
Name
Label
Table Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
Homles Homeless status Person Number 1
LR/LR CME/PR

6-7

Coroner/Medical Examiner
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPHOMELE

6-8

PR
PPHOMELE

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Current occupation: Occup
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Occup

Definition
Victim’s employment status, and, if employed, current occupation

Response Options:
Enter person’s current occupation in free text, or enter:
Unemployed
Homemaker
Retired
Student
Disabled
NA (under age 14)
Unknown
Uses
Employment status and occupation are indicators of socioeconomic status. Certain
occupations may also be associated with the occurrence of suicide or homicide.
Discussion
Report the occupation in a text field exactly as it appears on the CME report or other report.
The information can later be coded at the national level using Standard Occupational
Classifications.
 Note that “current occupation” is different from “usual occupation”, which is recorded on
the death certificate.
 If the person is not employed, enter one of the standard text options listed below. These
are not currently available on a drop-down menu, so please be careful to enter them
exactly as they appear under “response options,” and not in an abbreviated version.
 People who work 17.5 hours or more per week are considered employed; people who
work less than that are not.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Occup

Current occupation

Person

Text

Field
Length
50

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MP_OCCUP

PR
PP_OCCUP

6-9

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Victim in custody when injured: Custody
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Custody

Definition
Person was in public custody when injury occurred

Response Options:
0
Not in custody
1
In jail or prison
2
Under arrest but not in jail
3
Committed to mental hospital or ward
4
Resident of other state institution
5
In foster care
6
Injured prior to arrest
9
Unknown
Uses
Violent injuries that occur while a victim is in public custody are an issue of public concern
and a potential indicator of systemic problems that require change.
Discussion
A person is in public custody if he or she is under arrest, in foster care, or remanded by law
to an institution, such as a jail, prison, detention center, psychiatric ward, psychiatric
hospital, or other institution. Custody is coded on the basis of when the fatal injury was
inflicted or when the death occurred.
 If the injury was inflicted while the person was not in custody, but they died in custody,
code Custody as “Yes”.
 The code “Committed to mental hospital or ward” covers involuntary commitments and
involuntary observations at psychiatric wards within standard hospitals or at psychiatric
institutions.
 People who voluntarily commit themselves should not be coded as in custody.
 The code “In jail or prison” also covers incarcerations in juvenile detention facilities and
other detention facilities.
Examples
Yes
Robber is shot by a storeowner, arrested, and dies two days later from the shooting.
No
A victim had voluntarily checked in to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

6-10

Coroner/Medical Examiner
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Custody

Victim in custody when Person
injured

Type
Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

PR/CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPCUSTOD

PR
PPCUSTOD

6-11

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Alcohol use suspected: Intox
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Intox

Definition
Victim’s suspected alcohol use in the hours preceding the incident

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
8
Not Applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
This variable can be used to explore the role of alcohol use among victims of violent death.
The other alcohol variables (AlchRs and BAC) summarize results from toxicology tests
conducted as part of the death investigation. This variable uses a broader definition of
suspected alcohol use to capture information. It should be noted, however, that because
circumstantial evidence is considered sufficient for coding “suspected alcohol use,” there will
be some false positives.
Discussion
“Alcohol use” can be coded as “Yes” based on witness or investigator reports (e.g., police
note that the victim “had been drinking heavily”), or circumstantial evidence (e.g., empty six
pack scattered around suicide victim). This variable refers only to alcohol use and not drug
use. The phrase “in the hours preceding the incident” can be interpreted relatively broadly.
 If there is no evidence of intoxication, code this variable as “No”.
 Use the “Unknown” option only if the source does not have a narrative that could provide
the evidence of intoxication.
Examples
Yes
Friends report that a suicide victim was drinking heavily at a party, returned home that
evening, and killed himself sometime later that night.
No
A person was said to have been smoking crack on the day of the incident, but tested negative
for alcohol and there is no evidence of drinking.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Intox

Alcohol use suspected

Person

Number

6-12

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

Coroner/Medical Examiner

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPINTOXS

PR
PPINTOXS

6-13

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Date specimens were collected: SpcDt
Time specimens were collected: SpcTme
Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
SpcDt
SpcTme

Definition
Date on which body specimens were collected for toxicologic screen
Time at which body specimens were collected for toxicologic screen

Response Options:
SpcDt
MM/DD/YYYY
88/88/8888
99/99/9999

Date specimens were collected
Not applicable (no specimens collected)
Unknown

SpcTme
0000 to 2359
7777
8888
9999

Military time
Not collected by reporting site
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Date and time of collection of body specimens, in conjunction with date and time of death
and injury, can be used to assess the validity of alcohol and drug testing results and the
possible contribution of drugs or alcohol to the injury. For example, blood specimens drawn
long after death will not accurately reflect intoxication level at the time of death.
Discussion
Time is in the military time format HHMM and can be 0000 (midnight) to 2359 (11:59 pm).
The date of the postmortem exam can be used as the date specimens were collected in the
absence of other information.
Analysis
Name

Label

SpcDt
Date specimens were collected
SpcTme Time specimens were collected
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPSPECD
MPSPECT

6-14

Table
Person
Person

Type
Text
Text

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
10
LR
CME
4
LR
CME

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Testing for alcohol: AlchTs
Alcohol test results: AlchRs
Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
AlchTs
AlchRs

Definition
Victim’s blood was tested for presence of alcohol
Results of blood alcohol test

Response Options:
AlchTs
1
2
9

Tested
Not tested
Unknown

AlchRs
1
2
8
9

Present
Not present
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Alcohol intoxication is a risk factor in many types of injury deaths. Identifying victims for
whom objective evidence of alcohol ingestion exists will be useful to those researchers
exploring the role of alcohol in violent injury.
Discussion
Coding should be based on toxicologic screening of blood samples conducted as part of the
CME’s investigation. This information will be most useful in jurisdictions that routinely
analyze blood alcohol levels in victims of homicide and/or suicide, as opposed to those that
only sporadically do so.
If a victim is hospitalized after injury, and the hospital conducts toxicology testing at the time
of admission, those results should be used rather than the CME results. Using levels detected
at the time of hospital admission will better reflect the level of alcohol at the time of injury.
If testing was not done, the results should be coded as “not applicable.”
Analysis
Name Label
Table Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
AlchTs Testing for alcohol Person Number 1
LR
CME
AlchRs Alcohol test results Person Number 1
LR
CME

6-15

Coroner/Medical Examiner

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPETOHT
MPETOHR

6-16

Coroner/Medical Examiner

Blood alcohol concentration results:

BAC

Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
BAC

Definition
Blood alcohol level

Response Options:
Blood alcohol level in mg/dl (format: 0.XXX)
0.888 Not applicable, no testing
0.999 Unknown
Important Note to Abstractors: All versions of the software prior to the
January 2008 release collected up to three digits for BAC. If only two
were entered, a preceding zero was inserted prior to the two digits. (i.e.,
entering 23 resulted in a BAC of .023; entering 235 resulted in a BAC of
.235). In the current software version, the preceding zero has been
omitted and a trailing zeros are added for all values that are not three
digits (i.e., entering 23 results in a BAC of .230; entering 235 results in a
BAC of .235). Please enter all three digits of the BAC if available.
Uses
This variable enables researchers to categorize victims by blood alcohol level. These data
will assist in exploring the relationship between alcohol intoxication and violent death when
interpreted in conjunction with data on time of injury, time of death, and time at which body
specimens were drawn.
Discussion
Blood alcohol levels are coded in terms of percent by volume (serum %). Percent by volume
equals the milligrams of alcohol found per deciliter of blood (mg/dl) divided by 1000. For
example, a level of 30 mg/dl would be 0.030% alcohol. How labs report blood alcohol
concentrations (BAC) varies. Many use the format used here (serum %), while others report
BAC as milligrams of alcohol per deciliter of blood (mg/dl) — as in 30 mg/dl. To convert
mg/dl results to serum % results, divide by 1,000. Only BAC levels should be entered here;
levels based on other body fluids such as vitreous fluid should not. Use caution when
interpreting BAC levels because variation in the time elapsed between ingestion of
substances, time of death, and time of drawing body specimens for toxicological analysis will
affect the outcome.




BACs reported as “<0.01%” or “Nondetectable” are below the detection limit of 0.01%.
This should be reported as 0.000% and interpreted as “Not present” in the alcohol test
results field.
Alcohol that appears in the blood as a result of decomposition rather than ingestion does
not generally measure more than 0.040%.
BAC results reported as “Trace” should be recorded as 0.010%.

6-17

Coroner/Medical Examiner
Examples
The following list can be used to help convert the most commonly reported units to BAC.
All alcohol levels in the list are equal.








800 mg/l
800 mg/1000 ml
0.8 g/1000 ml
.08 g/100 ml
80 mg/dl
80 mg/100 ml
.08% BAC

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

BAC

Blood alcohol
concentration levels

Person

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPETOHC

6-18

Field
Length
3

Priority

Primacy

LR

CME

Coroner/Medical Examiner

TOXICOLOGY TESTING
Testing for amphetamines:
Testing for antidepressants:
Testing for cocaine:
Testing for marijuana:
Testing for opiate(s):
Testing for other substances:

AmphTs
AntiTs
CokeTs
MarjTs
OpiaTs
OtDrTs

Data Sources:
NVDRS Name
AmphTs
AntiTs
CokeTs
MarjTs
OpiaTs
OtDrTs
Response Options:
1
2
9

Definition
Toxicologic screening for amphetamines conducted
Toxicologic screening for antidepressants conducted
Toxicologic screening for cocaine conducted
Toxicologic screening for marijuana conducted
Toxicologic screening for opiate(s) conducted
Toxicologic screening for other substances conducted
Tested
Not tested
Unknown

Uses
This set of variables identifies victims whose bodily fluids were tested for drugs during the
death investigation.
Discussion
These variables indicate whether the victim’s blood, urine, vitreous humor (ocular fluid),
bile, or other tissues were tested for a variety of drugs or their metabolites by any standard
toxicologic screening method.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

AmphTs
AntiTs
CokeTs
MarjTs
OpiaTs
OtDrTs

Testing for amphetamines
Testing for antidepressants
Testing for cocaine
Testing for marijuana
Testing for opiate(s)
Testing for other substances

Person
Person
Person
Person
Person
Person

Number
Number
Number
Number
Number
Number

Field
Length
1
1
1
1
1
1

Priority Primacy
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR

CME
CME
CME
CME
CME
CME

6-19

Coroner/Medical Examiner
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPAMPT
MPANTIT
MPCOCAIT
MPMARIJT
MPOPIATT
MPDRUGOT

6-20

Coroner/Medical Examiner

TOXICOLOGY RESULTS
Amphetamine test results:
Antidepressant test results:
Cocaine test results:
Marijuana test results:
Opiate test results:
Other drug/substance test results:
Type of other substance:

AmphRs
AntiRs
CokeRs
MarjRs
OpiaRs
OtDrRs
OthDrg

Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
AmphRs
AntiRs
CokeRs
MarjRs
OpiaRs
OtDrRs
OthDrg
Response Options:
1
2
8
9

Definition
Amphetamines test results
Antidepressants test results
Cocaine test results
Marijuana test results
Opiate test results
Other drug/substance test results
Type of other substance for which person tested positive
Present
Not present
Not applicable (e.g., no testing was done)
Unknown

Uses
This set of variables identifies whether the tests for various drugs or their metabolites were
positive or negative. Findings can assist in exploring the relationship between recreational drug
use and violent death. The variables can also be used to document the presence of certain
psychiatric medications among suicide victims in jurisdictions that test for these substances.
The drug variables will be most useful in jurisdictions that routinely run toxicology tests on
victims, as opposed to those that only sporadically do so.
Discussion
Drug/substance test results can be coded based on results from any body fluid; it is not
restricted to blood only, as is the case for reporting blood alcohol levels. Many labs report
test results by reporting both the specific substance that a person tested positive for and the
class that the substance falls under. Some, however, report only the substance. In those cases,
use the drug/substance list provided in the training manual to identify which broad categories
the substance falls under.

6-21

Coroner/Medical Examiner






The drug/substance test result variables should be coded as “Yes” if the lab report or
CME summary notes the substance as “positive,” “presumptive presence,” or having a
numeric level greater than 0.
If there is testing for a drug/substance that does not fall into any of these categories, code
“Other” and record the name of the drug/substance in “Type of other substance” text
field. Enter the names of all other drugs/substances that tested positive.
Do not enter the names of other drugs/substances that tested negative.
The presence of a metabolite for a drug/substance being tested can be considered
sufficient evidence that the drug/substance itself was present. Questions about whether a
chemical is a metabolite can be referred to CDC.
If whether testing was done is “Unknown”, code the results fields as “Not applicable”
rather than “Unknown”.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

AmphRs
AntiRs
CokeRs
MarjRs
OpiaRs
OtDrRs

Amphetamine test results
Antidepressant test results
Cocaine test results
Marijuana test results
Opiate test results
Other drug/substance test
results
Type of other substance

Person
Person
Person
Person
Person
Person
Person

OthDrg

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPAMPR
MPANTIR
MPCOCAIR
MPMARIJR
MPOPIATR
MPDRUGOR
MPDRUGTY

6-22

Number
Number
Number
Number
Number
Number

Field
Length
1
1
1
1
1
1

Priority Primacy
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR

CME
CME
CME
CME
CME
CME

Text

200

LR

CME

Coroner/Medical Examiner

WOUND LOCATION
Number of wounds:
Number of bullets that hit victim:
Wound to the head:
Wound to the face:
Wound to the neck:
Wound to the upper extremity:
Wound to the spine:
Wound to the thorax:
Wound to the abdomen:
Wound to the lower extremity:

NumWou
NumBul
Head
Face
Neck
UpExt
Spine
Thorax
Abdomn
LowExt

Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
NumWou
NumBul
Head
Face
Neck
UpExt
Spine
Thorax
Abdomn
LowExt

Definition
Number of wounds to the victim
Number of bullets that hit the victim
Presence of wound to the head
Presence of wound to the face (e.g., mouth, nose, eyes, ears)
Presence of wound to the neck
Presence of wound in the upper extremities (shoulders, arms,
hands)
Presence of wound to the spine
Presence of wound to the thorax, chest, or upper back
Presence of wound to the abdomen, pelvic contents (including
genital area), or lower back
Presence of wound to the lower extremities (feet, hips, legs)

Response Options:
NumWou and NumBul
Actual number of wounds up to 75
75
75 or more
76
Multiple, unspecified
88
Not applicable (no firearm or sharp instrument wounds)
99
Unknown
Head thru LowExt
0
1
8
9

Absent (not wounded)
Present (wounded)
Not applicable
Unknown

6-23

Coroner/Medical Examiner
Uses
These codes help describe the relationship between incident circumstance and wound
locations on the victim’s body.
Discussion
These data elements apply to firearm injuries and sharp instrument wounds only.
 For “NumWou,” code the total number of penetrating wounds on the victim. Count both
entry and exit wounds.
 For “NumBul” (for gunshot wound victims only), code the total number of bullets that hit
the victim.
 When determining the number of wounds and bullets for shotgun injuries, treat each
shotgun blast as one injury and each shotgun shell as one bullet.
 Code the wound locations of penetrating wounds only; do not code the locations of
superficial grazing wounds or blunt trauma wounds.
 Code only the location of the external entrance or exit wound.
 For victims injured by both a gun and a knife, count all wounds from both weapon types
and code all wound locations.
 If the record refers only to a “wound” in the singular, the number of wounds is one. If it
refers only to “wounds,” the number of wounds is “Multiple, unspecified”.
Examples
 One bullet entered the cheek and exited the back of the head. Code “NumWou” as 2,
“NumBul” as 1, and “Head” as “Present” and “Face” as “Present”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Priority

Primacy

Number

Field
Length
2

NumWou Number of wounds

Person

LR/LR

CME/PR

Number

2

LR/LR

CME/PR

Head

Number of bullets that hit Person
victim
Wound to the head
Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

Face

Wound to the face

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

Neck

Wound to the neck

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

UpExt

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

Spine

Wound to the upper
extremity
Wound to the spine

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

Thorax

Wound to the thorax

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

Abdomn

Wound to the abdomen

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

LowExt

Wound to the lower
extremity

Person

Number

1

LR/LR

CME/PR

NumBul

6-24

Coroner/Medical Examiner
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPWOUNDS
MPNOBULL
MPBODYHE
MPBODYFA
MPBODYNE
MPBODYUE
MPBODYSP
MPBODYTH
MPBODYAB
MPBODYLE

PR
PPWOUNDS
PPNOBULL
PPBODYHE
PPBODYFA
PPBODYNE
PPBODYUE
PPBODYSP
PPBODYTH
PPBODYAB
PPBODYLE

6-25

Section 7
Suicide or Undetermined Circumstances
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Circ

7-3

Current depressed mood

Depres

7-4

Current mental health problem

Mental

7-6

Type of first mental illness diagnosis

MDiag1

7-8

Type of second mental illness diagnosis

MDiag2

7-8

Other mental health diagnosis

MenTxt

7-8

Current treatment for mental illness

TxMent

7-10

HistMental

7-12

Alcohol problem

Alcoh

7-14

Other substance problem

Subst

7-16

Person left a suicide note

SNote

7-18

Disclosed intent to commit suicide

SuiInt

7-19

History of suicide attempts

SuiHst

7-21

Crisis in past two wks

Crisis

7-22

Physical health problem

Health

7-24

Intimate partner problem

IPProb

7-26

Relat

7-28

Job

7-30

School problem

School

7-31

Financial problem

FinProb

7-32

Suicide of friend or family in past five years

RecSui

7-33

Other death of friend or family

FamDeath

7-34

Recent criminal legal problem

RecCrm

7-36

Circumstances known

Ever treated for mental illness

Other relationship problem
Job problem

Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Other legal problems

Legal

7-38

Perpetrator of interpersonal violence past month

PIPV

7-39

PIPVVict

7-40

SuiOth

7-41

Victim of interpersonal violence past month
Other suicide circumstance

Suicide/Undetermined
Circumstances known:

Circ

Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Circ

Definition
Indicates if any information is available about the circumstances associated
with the incident

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
This variable operates as a stem question. Checking the circumstances known box causes the
individual circumstances to appear on the screen. Un-checking the circumstances known box
causes the circumstances to disappear and implies that the circumstances preceding the
incident are not known.
Discussion
Important Note: If it is your intent to un-check the circumstances known box after having
entered any number of circumstances, you MUST uncheck the individual circumstances first.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Circ

Person

Circumstances known

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Checkbox 1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCIRCUM

CME
MPCIRCUM

PR
PPCIRCUM

7-3

Suicide/Undetermined

Current depressed mood: Depres
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Depres
Response Options:
0
1

Definition
Current depressed mood
No, Not Available, Unknown
Yes

Uses
Identifies suicide victims who were documented as having a depressed mood at the time of
the injury. A family member frequently reports that the suicide victim “had been depressed
lately,” but the record does not supply information about whether the person was diagnosed
with a depressive disorder. Rather than coding such a victim as suffering from depression
(which may or may not be true), this variable captures the available information more
appropriately.
Discussion
Code this variable as “Yes” if the victim was perceived by self or others to be depressed at
the time of the injury. Other words that can trigger coding this variable besides “depressed”
are sad, despondent, down, blue, low, unhappy, etc. Words that should not trigger coding
this variable are upset, up and down, agitated, angry, mad, anxious, overwrought, etc.



The depressed mood may be part of a clinical depression or a short-term sadness. If the
victim has a known clinical history of depression, but no current depressive symptoms,
this variable should NOT be selected.
Depressed mood should not be inferred by the coder based on the circumstances; rather
it must be noted in the record.

Examples
Yes
 Mother reports that victim has been depressed for the past few months.
 Husband states that his wife was suffering from depression at the time
she took her life.
 Decedent was saddened by his brother’s death a year ago and had not been himself since.
No
 Victim was agitated over news that he may receive a pink slip at work.
 Victim was upset because he had just discovered his girlfriend was cheating on him.
 Elderly victim lived alone, was facing foreclosure, was in failing health, and had learned
that her grown son was going to prison. (The victim may well have been depressed, given
the sad circumstances, but without an affirmative statement in the record about her mood,
the variable should not be coded as “Yes”.)

7-4

Suicide/Undetermined
Analysis
Name

Label

Depres Current depressed mood

Table

Type

Person

Checkbox

Priority Primacy
Field
Length
1
O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPDEPRES

CME
MPDEPRES

PR
PPDEPRES

7-5

Suicide/Undetermined

Current mental health problem: Mental
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Mental

Definition
Current mental health problem

Response Options:
0
1

No, Not Available, Unknown
Yes

Uses
This variable can be used to examine the association of mental health problems and
suicide.
Discussion
Code a victim as “Yes” for “Mental” if he or she has been identified as having a mental
health problem. Mental health problems include those disorders and syndromes listed in the
DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Revision) with the
exception of alcohol and other substance dependence (as these are captured in separate
variables). Examples of disorders qualifying as mental health problems include not only
diagnoses such as major depression, schizophrenia, and generalized anxiety disorder, but
developmental disorders (such as mental retardation, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder), eating disorders, personality disorders, and organic mental disorders such as
Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Also indicate “Yes” if it is mentioned in the CME report
that the victim was being treated for a mental health problem, even if the nature of the
problem is unclear (e.g., “was being treated for various psychiatric problems”). It is
acceptable to endorse this variable on the basis of past treatment of a mental health problem,
unless it is specifically noted that the past problem has been resolved.
Examples
Yes
 The record states “victim was hospitalized twice in the past for mental problems” or
“history of depression” even if the timeframe is not clear.
 The victim was seeking mental health treatment or someone was seeking treatment on his
or her behalf (e.g., “family was attempting to have him hospitalized for psychiatric
problems”).
 The victim has a prescription for an antidepressant or other psychiatric medication. The
drug list provided in the training notebook identifies drugs that can be considered
psychiatric medications. We have separate questions for substance abuse, “alcohol
dependence”, and “other substance dependence” questions. Therefore, do not include
substance abuse as a “current mental health problem”.
 Toxicology report from CME indicates that the victim tested positive for sertraline (an
antidepressant).
 Victim had PTSD — or, Post-traumatic stress disorder.
 History of depression.
7-6

Suicide/Undetermined


Was under the care of a psychiatrist.

No
 A neighbor indicates the victim was not acting normally.
 Victim was depressed over a recent break-up (code “Current depressed mood”).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Mental

Current mental
health problem

Person

Type
Checkbox

Field
Length

Priority

Primacy

1

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPMENTAL

CME
MPMENTAL

PR
PPMENTAL

7-7

Suicide/Undetermined

Type of first mental illness diagnosis:
MDiag1
Type of second mental illness diagnosis: MDiag2
Other mental health diagnosis: MenTxt
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
MDiag1
MDiag2
MenTxt
Response Options:
MDiag1
MDiag2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
66
99

Definition
Type of mental illness diagnosis
Type of mental illness diagnosis
Other type of mental illness

Depression/dysthymia
Bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Anxiety disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
ADD or hyperactivity disorder
Eating disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Other (specify in diagnosis text), including mental retardation,
autism, personality disorders, Alzheimer’s, etc.
Unknown

MenTxt
Other diagnosis text
Uses
For victims who were noted as having a mental health problem, and whose mental health
problem has been assessed by a mental health practitioner, these variables identify the
victim’s diagnoses.
Discussion
This variable indicates the nature of the victim’s mental health problem (the diagnosis), if
available. Code up to two diagnoses. If a diagnosis is not on the code list, code “Other” and
record the diagnosis in the text field, “MenTxt”. If the record indicates more than two
diagnoses, note the additional diagnoses in “MenTxt”. For cases in which the victim was
noted as being treated for a mental health problem, but the actual diagnosis is not
documented, code “MDiag1” as “Unknown”. If the victim had a mental health problem
(“Mental” = “Yes”), but the nature of the problem has not been diagnosed (e.g., “victim was
hearing voices and having paranoid delusions; family was attempting to have victim
committed”), code “MDiag1” as “Not applicable” since he had not been treated or diagnosed.
Do not attempt to apply a diagnosis based on reading the symptoms. While it is acceptable to
endorse “Mental health problem” based on the victim’s prescription for a psychiatric
7-8

Suicide/Undetermined
medication, please do not infer a specific diagnosis based on the medication.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type of first mental
illness diagnosis
Type of second mental
MDiag1
illness diagnosis
Other mental health
MenTxt
diagnosis
MDiag1

Type

Priority
Field
Length

Primacy

Person

Number

2

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Person

Number

2

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Person

Number

2

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPMENTAF
CPMENTAS
CPMENTAO

CME
MPMENTAF
MPMENTAS
MPMENTAO

PR
PPMENTAF
PPMENTAS
PPMENTAO

7-9

Suicide/Undetermined

Current treatment for mental illness: TxMent
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
TxMent

Definition
Currently in treatment for a mental health problem

Response Options:
0
1

No, Not Available, Unknown
Yes

Uses
This variable can be used to assess the proportion of suicide victims who were currently in
mental health treatment. The information can be helpful in planning and delivering mental
health services and in evaluating quality of care.
Discussion
The variable “TxMent” (current mental health treatment) should be coded “Yes” if the victim
was in current treatment (that is, had a current prescription for a psychiatric medication or
saw a mental health professional within the past two months.) Treatment includes seeing a
psychiatrist, psychologist, medical doctor, therapist, or other counselor for a mental health or
substance abuse problem; receiving a prescription for an antidepressant or other psychiatric
medicine (see training notebook for list of psychiatric drugs); attending anger management
classes; or residing in an inpatient or halfway house facility for mental health problems. If
you code “Yes” for current mental health treatment, you MUST code “Yes” for “ever treated
for mental illness” as well.
Examples
Yes
 A recently filled, unopened prescription belonging to the victim for an
antidepressant is found in the medicine cabinet.
 The victim has been in treatment for depression for the last 10 years.
 The victim was released from inpatient care for bipolar disorder a week ago.
No
 Victim was taking St. John’s Wort (non-prescription herb) for depression because of a
magazine article he had read.
 Victim was taking sleeping pills for insomnia.
 Sample packs of prescription medication were found in the victim’s home with no
evidence that they were prescribed for him.

7-10

Suicide/Undetermined
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

TxMent

Current treatment
for mental illness

Person Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPMENTAT

CME
MPMENTAT

PR
PPMENTAT

7-11

Suicide/Undetermined

Ever Treated for Mental Illness: HistMental
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
HistMental

Definition
History of ever being treated for a mental health problem

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable can be used to assess the proportion of suicide victims who were currently or
formerly in mental health treatment. The information can be helpful in planning and
delivering mental health services and in evaluating quality of care.
Discussion
The variable “HistMental” indicates whether the victim was noted as ever having received
professional treatment for a mental health problem, either at the time of death or in the past.
If a victim is in current treatment, by definition “HistMental” (ever in treatment) should be
endorsed as well. If a decedent died as the result of an overdose from multiple medications
and it is not clear whether the medications were his or her own (as in a victim swallowing
everything in the family’s medicine cabinet), the existence of an antidepressant or other
psychiatric medication in the victim’s bloodstream is not sufficient evidence of mental
health treatment. For victims who die by means other than drug overdose (e.g., shooting,
hanging), toxicologic teat results indicating the presence of a psychiatric medication is
sufficient evidence of mental health treatment.
Examples
Yes
 Several years ago the victim was treated for bipolar disorder.
 The decedent had begun seeing a psychiatrist recently, but had previously never been in
treatment.
No
 The sister of the victim thinks he might have been treated for something a long time ago.
Analysis
Name

Label

HistMental Ever treated for
mental illness

7-12

Table

Type

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPMENTAH

CME
MPMENTAH

PR
PPMENTAH

7-13

Suicide/Undetermined

Alcohol problem: Alcoh
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Alcoh

Definition
Person has alcohol dependence or alcohol problem

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
Can be used to assess the proportion of suicide victims who were identified as having
alcohol problems. The information can be helpful in exploring the role of alcohol abuse in
planning suicide prevention service delivery.
Discussion
Code a victim as “Yes” for “Alcoh” if the victim was perceived by self or others to have a
problem with, or to be addicted to, alcohol.




A victim who is noted as participating in a alcohol rehabilitation program or treatment —
including self-help groups and 12-step programs — should be coded as “Yes” for
“Alcoh” even if the victim was noted as being currently sober.
A problem from the past (i.e., five years or more ago) that has resolved and no longer
appears to apply should not be coded.
Do not code “Alcoh” as “Yes” if victim was using alcohol in the hours preceding the
incident and there is no evidence of dependence or a problem (these cases should be
coded “Yes” for “Intox”).

Examples
Yes
 CME report indicates the patient was in an alcohol rehabilitation program last year.
 Called AA sponsor the day before the incident.
 Noted in CME report that the victim had been drinking a lot lately and
family was concerned.
No
 CME report indicates that 20 years ago the victim had trouble with drugs and
alcohol as a teenager, but not since then.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Alcoh

Alcohol problem

Person

Checkbox

7-14

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPETOHD

CME
MPETOHD

PR
PPETOHD

7-15

Suicide/Undetermined

Other substance problem: Subst
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Subst

Definition
Person has drug abuse problem

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
Can be used to assess the proportion of suicide victims who were identified as having a
drug abuse problem. The information can be helpful in exploring the role of substance
abuse in planning suicide prevention service delivery.
Discussion
Code a victim as “Yes” for “Subst” if the victim was perceived by self or others to have a
problem with, or to be addicted to drugs other than alcohol. “Subst” can be endorsed if a
victim was noted as using illegal drugs (such as heroin or cocaine), abusing prescription
medications (such as pain relievers or Valium), or regularly using inhalants (e.g., sniffing
gas).









A victim who is noted as participating in a drug rehabilitation program or treatment —
including self-help groups and 12-step programs — should be coded as “Yes” for “Subst”
even if the victim was noted as being currently clean.
A problem from the past (i.e., five years or more ago) that has resolved and no longer
appears to apply should not be coded.
If the victim is mentioned as using illegal drugs — even if addiction or abuse is not
specifically mentioned — code “Subst” as “Yes”. The exception to this is marijuana use.
For marijuana, the use must be noted as chronic, abusive, or problematic (e.g., “victim
smoked marijuana regularly,” “victim’s family indicated he had been stoned much of the
past month”).
A victim who takes methadone can be assumed to be in treatment for heroin addiction.
The phrase “history of drug abuse” is sufficient to justify endorsing “Subst”, unless it is
noted that the victim is no longer a drug user.
Previously attempting suicide via overdose is not sufficient justification for endorsing
“Subst” in the absence of other information.
If marijuana was used at the time of the incident, and there is no evidence of regular use,
addiction, or abuse, code to “Other suicide circumstance”.

Examples
Yes
 CME report indicates that the victim abuses his own painkiller prescription.
 Victim made regular visits to a methadone clinic.
 Victim had track marks on his body
7-16

Suicide/Undetermined



Victim had drug paraphernalia at his apartment (and there is some indication it was
owned or used by the victim).
Victim shot himself after a fight with his wife over his drug use and mounting debts.

No
 Victim smoked marijuana occasionally.
 Victim attempted suicide via medication overdose on two previous occasions.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Subst

Person

Checkbox

Other substance
problem

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUBSTD

CME
MPSUBSTD

PR
PPSUBSTD

7-17

Suicide/Undetermined

Person left a suicide note: SNote
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
SNote

Definition
Victim left a suicide note (or other recorded communication)

Response Options
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
A suicide note is a marker for an intentional suicide.
Discussion
 A will or folder of financial papers near the victim does not constitute a suicide
note.
 If the record states the person left a “note”, you can infer it was a suicide note in
the absence of information indicating that the note had some other purpose.
Examples
Yes
 The victim left a letter to her son indicating that she was ending her life.
 “The pain stops today. Goodbye” was scrawled on the mirror next to the victim.
 A victim left a handwritten note that said ‘DNR’ (do not resuscitate) next to her.
No
 A woman is terminally ill. She writes and signs her will. The next day she
commits suicide.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

SNote Person left a suicide Person
note

Type
Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUICN

7-18

CME
MPSUICN

PR
PPSUICN

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined

Disclosed intent to commit suicide: SuiInt
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
SuiInt

Definition
Victim disclosed to another person the intention to commit
suicide

Response Options
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable can be used to identify the subset of suicides for which opportunities to
intervene and prevent the death may have been present. It is also useful for exploring the
association between stated intent and actual suicide.
Discussion
Code “SuiInt” as “Yes” if the victim had previously expressed suicidal feelings to another
person, whether explicitly (e.g., “I’m considering killing myself”) or indirectly (e.g., “I think
everyone would be better off without me” or “I know how to put a permanent end to this
pain”). Include in the incident narrative any available details about who the intent was
disclosed to, how long before the suicide the intent was disclosed, and what was said during
the disclosure.







Code this variable as “Yes” if there was opportunity to intervene between the time the
person disclosed intent and the injury event.
Do not code this variable as “Yes” if the victim disclosed the intention to kill him or
herself only at the moment of the suicide (i.e., when there was no opportunity to
intervene to stop the suicide).
Do not endorse this variable if the victim had talked about suicide sometime in the
distant past, but had not disclosed a current intent to commit suicide to anyone.
If the record indicates disclosure of intent, but is unclear about the timeframe, code
“SuiInt” as “Yes”. This will sometimes be incorrect; however the specificity to allow
precise coding is too often missing in the records to justify using a narrower
interpretation.
Do not endorse this variable if suicidal ideation is noted in a source document but
there is no stated intent (e.g., the victim stated that he thought about suicide last week
but he would never actually kill himself).

When the police or CME documents indicate whether the victim stated the intent to
commit suicide, they are doing so less for the purpose of documenting a missed
opportunity for intervention and more for the purpose of indicating why the death is
being treated as a suicide and not a potential homicide. Therefore, the records may be
unclear about timing. For example, the record may state, “Victim has spoken of suicide in
the past,” and it is not entirely clear whether the talk about suicide was only in the past or
7-19

Suicide/Undetermined
was related to the current incident. This will frequently be a gray area for coding. If the
record indicates disclosure of intent in the past but affirmatively states that there was no
disclosure for the current incident, code “SuiInt” as “No”.
Examples
Yes
 The victim told his wife that he was planning to end his suffering and
was going to stop being a burden on her.
 The victim has mentioned on and off to friends that he was considering suicide; no
one thought he would do it.
 The victim stated she was going to kill herself, was hospitalized in a mental health
facility and committed suicide two days after discharge.
No
 The victim has spoken of suicide in the past, but not in the past few
months when things seemed to be going better for him.
 Family members were unaware of any suicidal feelings. During a heated argument
over being grounded, the young victim shouted, “I’m gonna blow my head off, and
it’s your fault.” He left the room and shot himself.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Field
Length Priority

Primacy

SuiInt Disclosed intent to
commit suicide

Person

Checkbox

1

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUICD

7-20

CME
MPSUICD

PR
PPSUICD

O/LR/LR

Suicide/Undetermined

History of suicide attempts: SuiHst
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
Name
SuiHst

Definition
Victim has a history of attempting suicide

Response Options:
0
1

No, Not Available, Unknown
Yes

Uses
This variable is useful for exploring the association between suicide attempts and actual
suicides and as an opportunity for preventive intervention.
Discussion
Code SuiHst as “Yes” if the victim was known to have made previous suicide attempts,
regardless of the severity of those attempts. Evidence of a history of suicide attempts
includes self-report and report or documentation from others including family, friends, and
health professionals.
Yes
 A diabetic admitted to a counselor that she had stopped taking her insulin and gorged
herself on candy in an attempt to kill herself.
 A victim has played ‘Russian Roulette’ in the presence of other people in the past.
No
 A victim was found hanged in his garage by an electrical cord. In his bedroom a ceiling
hook and rope were found but the hook had been dislodged from the ceiling. It is
assumed but not known that this was a previous attempt.
Analysis
Name

Label

SuiHst History of suicide
attempts

Table

Type

Person

Checkbox

Priority
Field
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUICH

CME
MPSUICH

PR
PPSUICH

7-21

Suicide/Undetermined

Crisis in past two wks: Crisis
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Crisis

Definition
Victim experienced a crisis within two weeks of the suicide, or a
crisis was imminent within two weeks of the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable can be used to identify suicides that appear to involve an element of
impulsivity.
Discussion
The variable “Crisis” identifies those cases in which a very current crisis or acute
precipitating event appears to have contributed to the suicide (e.g., the victim was just
arrested; divorce papers were served that day; the victim was about to be laid off; the victim
had a major argument with his or her spouse the night before). Coding a case as being related
to a crisis does not mean that there aren’t also chronic conditions that have contributed to the
victim’s decision to end his or her life. Crisis should be interpreted from the eyes of the
victim. This is particularly relevant for young victims whose crises — such as a bad grade or
a dispute with parents over a curfew — may appear relatively minor.


An actual time period for the crisis may not be mentioned in the records, so use
language as a clue. For example, “decedent was experiencing financial difficulties
after losing his job” would not trigger coding a recent crisis because the timeframe is
unclear, whereas “decedent had just received a pink slip at work” would be clear.
 A statement regarding a patient whose chronic health problem is worsening should
not trigger coding “Crisis” as “Yes”; however, a person who just received the news
that he or she has a terminal illness should be regarded as having experienced a
recent crisis.
 A homicide-suicide should always be coded as “Yes” for “Crisis” unless the two
deaths were both clearly consensual and planned in advance (in effect, a double
suicide).
 If you check that a crisis has occurred, you must also indicate the type of crisis by
checking at least one of the circumstances below it on the list, e.g., physical health
or job problem and describe the crisis in the narrative.
Examples
Examples of crises include a very recent or impending arrest, job loss, argument or fight,
relationship break-up, police pursuit, financial loss, loss in social standing, eviction, or other
loss.

7-22

Suicide/Undetermined
Yes











The victim’s husband announced that day that he was divorcing her.
A 15-year-old adolescent had a heated argument with his mother, stormed out of the
room, and shot himself.
The decedent killed his ex-wife and then himself.
A few days prior to the suicide, the victim was questioned about his
suspected sexual abuse of his two nephews by police.
The victim was about to be returned to prison in a few days.
After a recent break-up, the decedent went to his girlfriend’s house to attempt
reconciliation. She refused, and he shot himself in her driveway.
An elderly man fell in the bathtub the week before, breaking his hip. The day before
this, his doctor told him that he would need to go to a nursing home.
Police were pursuing a suspect. As they drew near, the man turned the
gun on himself and fired.
Victim had just received a lay-off notice at work.
Victim was released from jail earlier that day.

No





A 45-year-old man was unemployed and experiencing financial difficulties. (Had this
statement been added to his case, “was to be evicted from his apartment the following
weekend” the case would qualify as a “Yes”.)
The victim had emphysema and the condition was worsening.
The victim was in the process of divorcing her husband.
The decedent was despondent over recent job loss. (Timeframe is non-specific; job
loss could have been a week or six months ago.)

Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Crisis

Person

Checkbox

Crisis in past two
wks

Field
Priority
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCRISIS

CME
MPCRISIS

PR
PPCRISIS

7-23

Suicide/Undetermined

Physical health problem: Health
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Health

Definition
Physical health problems appear to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
1

No, Not Available, Unknown
Yes

Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are health-related. Identifying the specific
circumstances that play a precipitative role in suicide will assist in identifying, developing,
and evaluating preventive interventions.
Discussion
The victim was experiencing physical health problems (e.g., terminal disease, debilitating
condition, chronic pain) that were relevant to the suicide event.





Endorse this variable only if a health problem is noted as contributing to the suicide.
CME reports generally include the decedent’s existing medical problems.
The simple mention of a health problem should not trigger coding the suicide as
health-related, unless there is some indication that the suicide is linked in part to the
health problem or concern.
There are some exceptions to this rule, however. If there is no information in the
record about why the victim killed him or herself, but it is noted that the victim had a
terminal or very debilitating illness, it is acceptable to endorse Health.
Health conditions are coded from the perspective of the victim.

Examples
Yes
 The victim was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told that she had
two months to live.
 An elderly man fell in the bathtub the week before, breaking his hip. He feared that
this injury would require him to sell his house and move into a nursing home.
 The victim only suspected he might have AIDS and killed himself before he received
his test results.
 The victim was still in pain from injuries sustained in a car crash five years ago.
No
 Victim was fleeing from police. He ran into a restroom and shot himself. He has a
history of arrests for violent crime, and his health history indicates diabetes. (No
mention of health condition being related to the suicide.)

7-24

Suicide/Undetermined
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Health Physical health
problem

Person

Checkbox

Priority
Field
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPHEALTH

CME
MPHEALTH

PR
PPHEALTH

7-25

Suicide/Undetermined

Intimate partner problem: IPProb
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
IPProb

Definition
Problems with a current or former intimate partner appear to have
contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to friction or conflict between intimate
partners. Identifying specific circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in
suicide will help identify, develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “IPProb” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was experiencing problems
with a current or former intimate partner, such as a divorce, break-up, argument, jealousy,
conflict, or discord.





The burden of caring for an ill spouse or partner should not be coded as an intimate
partner problem unless there is also evidence of relationship problems. These should
be coded as “Other” (SuiOth).
Phrases such as “victim was having relationship problems” can be assumed to
indicate intimate partner problems.
If a victim kills or attacks his or her current or former intimate partner, code “IPProb”
as “Yes”.
The only exception to this rule is if the death was clearly a consensual act, as in a
mercy killing followed by suicide. Extreme caution should be used when identifying
a case as a mercy killing; see discussion of the variable Mercy (mercy killing) in
Section 8.

Examples
Yes
 The victim goes to his old house, shoots his estranged wife, and then shoots himself.
 The victim was engaged in a bitter custody dispute with her ex-husband.
 Police arrested the victim a week ago for violating a restraining order that his girl
friend had filed.
 A wife reports that she and the victim had been arguing, and she spent the night at her
mother’s.
 The victim was having relationship problems.
 A 14 year old female victim and a 19 male had never met but had an online
relationship in which she referred to him as her ‘boyfriend.’ Her mother forbade
her from talking to him and the victim and her boyfriend ‘broke up.’
7-26

Suicide/Undetermined
No




The CME report indicates that the victim is a divorced, 50-year-old white male with
two grown children; he was recently arrested on his third drunk driving offense and
hanged himself the day he was released from jail.
Victim was lonely and felt isolated.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

IPProb

Intimate partner
problem

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPVIOIP

CME
MPVIOIP

PR
PPVIOIP

7-27

Suicide/Undetermined

Other relationship problem: Relat
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Relat

Definition
Problems with a family member, friend, or associate (other than an
intimate partner) appear to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to friction or conflict with friends and
family. Identifying the specific circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in
suicide will help to identify, develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “Relat” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was experiencing an
interpersonal problem with someone other than an intimate partner (e.g., a family member,
friend, or schoolmate).



Problems with a person at work should be coded as job problems, not “Relat”.
If the report indicates that the victim was “having relationship problems”, these
should be assumed to be intimate partner problems, and not problems with other
friends or family.

Examples
Yes
 A teenager was arguing with his parents because they refused to let him go on a
weekend ski trip with his friends.
 A 20 year-old had recently been kicked out of his house by his parents because of
arguments and drug use.
No



Victim was having relationship problems. (Code as intimate partner problem).
Victim’s parents were getting a divorce but the victim did not have a conflict with
either parent. The conflict was only between the parents.

Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Relat

Person

Checkbox

7-28

Other relationship
problem

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPRELO

CME
MPRELO

PR
PPRELO

7-29

Suicide/Undetermined

Job problem: Job
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Job

Definition
Job problems appear to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to job problems. Identifying specific
circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in suicide will help to identify,
develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “Job” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was either experiencing a
problem at work (such as tensions with a co-worker, poor performance reviews, increased
pressure, feared layoff) or was having a problem with joblessness (e.g., recently laid off,
having difficulty finding a job).
Do not endorse Job if a person left his or her job as part of a suicide plan (e.g., “Victim left
work four days ago and checked into a hotel; the body was found after co-workers contacted
the victim’s family to try to locate him”).
Examples
Yes
 The victim was in the midst of a sexual harassment action at work.
 The victim was recently laid off from work.
No
 A 66-year-old retired man was found dead in the garage from carbon
monoxide poisoning. There is no information available about the
circumstances.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Job

Person

Checkbox

Job problems appear to have
contributed to the suicide.

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPJOB
7-30

CME
MPJOB

PR
PPJOB

Field
Priority
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined

School problem: School
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
School

Definition
Problems at or related to school appear to have contributed to the
suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to problems at school. Identifying
specific circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in suicide will help to
identify, develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “School” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was experiencing a
problem such as poor grades, bullying, social exclusion at school, or performance
pressures.
Examples
Yes
 A graduate student with a history of alcoholism and depression was feeling
overwhelmed by academic pressure.
 Rumors were circulating at the school about the victim, and she had recently lost her
circle of friends as a result of the rumors.
 A ninth grader killed himself after bringing home a report card that showed a drop in
his grades.
No


A student was skipping school, but there is no other evidence suggesting any
problems related to the student not attending school.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

School

School problem

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSCHOOL

CME
MPSCHOOL

PR
PPSCHOOL

7-31

Suicide/Undetermined

Financial problem: FinProb
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
FinProb

Definition
Financial problems appear to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to financial problems. Identifying specific
circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in suicide will help to identify, develop,
and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “FinProb” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was experiencing a
problem such as bankruptcy, overwhelming debts, or foreclosure of a home or business.
Examples
Yes
 The victim had a gambling problem and mounting debts.
 The bank was in the process of foreclosing on the victim’s home.
 The victim and his wife were arguing about money problems.
No
 The victim was evicted from his home the night before. Since the eviction could have
been for other than financial problems, do not code ‘yes’.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

FinProb

Financial problem

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPFINANC

7-32

CME
MPFINANC

PR
PPFINANC

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined

Suicide of friend or family in past five years: RecSui
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
RecSui

Definition
Suicide of a family member or friend within the past five years appears
to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to other suicides. This may be useful for
identifying suicide clusters. Identifying specific circumstances that appear to play a
precipitating role in suicide will help to identify, develop, and evaluate preventive
interventions.
Discussion
Code “RecSui” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was distraught over, or
reacting to, a relatively recent (within five years) suicide of a friend or family member.
Examples
Yes
 The victim had been depressed since the death of his brother who committed suicide a
year ago.
No
 The victim is a 36-year-old woman. Her mother committed suicide when she was 12
years old. (This was over five years ago; code as “Other suicide circumstance”).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

RecSui

Suicide of friend
orfamily in past

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUICF

CME
MPSUICF

PR
PPSUICF

7-33

Suicide/Undetermined

Other death of friend or family in past five years: FamDeath
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
FamDeath

Definition
Death of a family member or friend within the last five years that
appears to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to the loss of a loved one through means
other than suicide. Identifying the specific circumstances that appear to play a precipitating
role in suicide will help to identify, develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “FamDeath” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was distraught over, or
reacting to, a relatively recent (within five years) death of a friend or family member. If a
source document mentions that the suicide took place on the anniversary of the death of a
friend or family member, that is sufficient grounds for coding this variable “Yes.”
Examples
Yes
 The victim had been depressed since the death of his wife two years ago.
 The victim was a high school student diagnosed with bipolar disorder;
a friend had died in a car crash the month before, and the victim was
distraught over his loss.
 The victim experienced a miscarriage that was believed to have contributed to the
suicide (the fetus is considered a family member).
No
 The victim was a widow who was living with her grown daughter. (No mention of
timeframe or relationship of the death to the suicide decision.)
Analysis
Name

Label

FamDeath Other death of
friend or family

7-34

Table

Type

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPDOF

CME
MPDOF

PR
PPDOF

7-35

Suicide/Undetermined

Recent criminal legal problem: RecCrm
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
RecCrm

Definition
Criminal legal problems appear to have contributed to the suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to criminal problems. Identifying the
specific circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in suicide will help to
identify, develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “RecCrm” as “Yes” if at the time of the incident the victim was facing criminal legal
problems (recent or impending arrest, police pursuit, impending criminal court date, etc.).
Include military crimes such as AWOL here too.



Committing a crime alone is not sufficient basis for endorsing RecCrm; there must be
evidence of negative legal or law enforcement consequences that appear to be
associated with the suicide.
Criminal legal problems, as opposed to civil legal problems, are those resulting from
conduct considered so harmful to society as a whole that it is prohibited by statute
and prosecuted by the government.

Examples
Yes
 The victim has been convicted of a crime and was awaiting his court appearance for
sentencing.
 The victim was in jail and facing charges from a drunk-driving arrest.
 Police were in pursuit of the victim who was suspected in a recent robbery.
No
 The evening before the victim killed himself he went to his ex-girlfriend’s
house and sexually assaulted her (no mention of actual or impending criminal
legal or law enforcement problems arising from the criminal activity).
 The victim was sentenced and has been in prison for eleven months on a
robbery conviction. Since the victim was not facing new criminal legal
problems but was merely serving a sentence, code this ‘no.’ Code the “victim in
custody” variable ‘yes.’

7-36

Suicide/Undetermined
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

RecCrm Recent criminal
legal problem

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPLEGALP

CME
MPLEGALP

PR
PPLEGALP

7-37

Suicide/Undetermined

Other legal problems: Legal
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Legal

Definition
Legal (non-criminal) problems appear to have contributed to the
suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies suicides that are related to legal problems that are not of a criminal
nature. Identifying the specific circumstances that appear to play a precipitating role in
suicide will help to identify, develop, and evaluate preventive interventions.
Discussion
Code “Legal” as “Yes,” if at the time of the incident the victim was facing civil legal
problems, such as a custody dispute or civil lawsuit, or legal problems that were
unspecified as either criminal or civil.
Examples
Yes
 The victim is in the midst of a heated custody battle with his ex-wife.
 The victim is being sued by a former business partner.
 The suicide note refers to the victim’s legal problems. (Legal Problem is endorsed
rather than Criminal Problem since it is unclear whether the problems are criminal or
civil).
 Child protective services recently removed a child from the victim’s home without
any indication that criminal charges would be filed.
No
 The victim had been arrested for driving while intoxicated. (Code as a
Criminal Problem.)
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Legal

Person

Checkbox

Other legal problems

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPLEGAL

7-38

CME
MPLEGAL

PR
PPLEGAL

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined

Perpetrator of interpersonal violence past month: PIPV
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
PIPV

Definition
Victim was a perpetrator of interpersonal violence within the past
month.

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable can be helpful in exploring whether interpersonal violence perpetration is a risk
factor for suicide. Note: This variable refers to ‘interpersonal violence’ and not ‘intimate
partner’ violence. It includes, but is not limited to, intimate partners.
Discussion
The victim of the suicide was also the perpetrator of violent crime or interpersonal violence
during the month prior to death.
 “PIPV” should also be coded “Yes” if a restraining order has been filed against
the victim within the past month.
Examples
Yes
 The suicide victim was also the suspect in the homicide of his wife.
 The victim was being sought by police for a string of robberies and assaults.
 The decedent was distraught over a recent break-up with his girlfriend; she had a
restraining order against him.
No
 The police report indicates no recent arrests; although victim was arrested three years
ago on an assault charge. (Not recent and no mention of a link to the suicide.)
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

PIPV

Person

Checkbox

Perpetrator of
interpersonal violence
past month

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source*
CFR
CPVIOIPP

CME
MPVIOIPP

PR
PPVIOIPP

7-39

Suicide/Undetermined

Victim of interpersonal violence past month: PIPVVict
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
PIPVVict

Definition
Suicide victim was a victim of interpersonal violence in the past month.

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable can be helpful in exploring whether violence victimization is a risk factor for
suicide.
Note: This variable refers to ‘interpersonal violence’ and not ‘intimate partner’ violence. It
includes, but is not limited to, intimate partners.
Discussion
The victim was a current or recent (within the past month) victim of interpersonal
violence.
Examples
Yes
 A teenage girl had been the victim of repeated sexual assaults by her
stepfather before she took her life.
 The victim was being abused by her spouse.
No
 A 30-year-old victim had been abused as a child.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

PIPVVict Victim of
Person
interpersonal violence
past month

Type
Checkbox

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPVIOIPV

7-40

CME
MPVIOIPV

PR
PPVIOIPV

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Suicide/Undetermined

Other suicide circumstance: SuiOth
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
SuiOth

Definition
Other specified problems contributed to the victim’s suicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
“SuiOth” serves as a check on the reporting system; if a high proportion of suicide cases
endorse “SuiOth”, the reporting system may not have codes that adequately capture the
major precipitating circumstances associated with suicide.
Discussion
“SuiOth” should only be used if a noted contributory circumstance is not already covered by
existing variables in the reporting system. Be sure to describe the circumstance in the text
field provided and in the narrative.
Examples
Yes
 The victim died from starvation during a hunger strike for a political cause.
 The victim was attacked by three men last summer and was in treatment for PTSD;
family states he has been unable to sleep through the night since that incident.
 A parent of the victim committed suicide when the deceased was a child (i.e., the
parent’s suicide occurred more than five years ago).
 The victim used marijuana at the time of the incident, and there is NO
evidence of regular use, addiction, or abuse.
No




The victim is a teenage boy whose friends have ostracized him. (The case can be
coded as Other Relationship Problem and therefore does not need an “other” code.)
The victim’s body was not discovered for two weeks. Hikers found the
body and a helicopter was flown in to remove the body. (These details
do not describe a precipitating circumstance.)
The victim used marijuana at the time of the incident and there is evidence of regular
use, addiction, or abuse.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

SuiOth

Other suicide
circumstance:

Person

Type Field
Length
Text 50

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

7-41

Suicide/Undetermined

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUICO

7-42

CME
MPSUICO

PR
PPSUICO

Section 8
Homicide Circumstances
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Circ

8-3

Crime

8-4

Nature of first other crime

NtCrm1

8-6

Nature of second other crime

NtCrm2

8-6

First other crime in progress

InProg

8-9

Argument over money/property/drugs

Argue

8-10

Jealousy (lovers’ triangle)

Jealous

8-11

Intimate partner violence related

IPV

8-12

Other argument, abuse, conflict

OthArg

8-14

Drug involvement

Drug

8-16

Gang related

Gang

8-18

Hate crime

Hate

8-20

Brawl (mutual physical fight)

Brawl

8-21

Terrorist attack

Terror

8-22

Victim was a bystander

Bystd

8-23

Victim was a police officer on duty

PolOff

8-24

Justifiable self defense/law enforcement

Defens

8-25

UsedWeap

8-27

Victim was intervener assisting crime victim

Interv

8-29

Mercy killing

Mercy

8-30

Other homicide circumstance:
Mentally ill suspect
Random violence
Drive-by shooting
Other

Other

8-31

Circumstances known
Precipitated by another crime

Victim used weapon

Homicide

Circumstances known: Circ
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Circ

Definition
Indicates if any information is available about the circumstances associated
with the incident

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
This variable operates as a stem question. Checking the circumstances known box causes the
individual circumstances to appear on the screen. Un-checking the circumstances known box
causes the circumstances to disappear and implies that the circumstances preceding the
incident are not known.
Discussion
Important Note: If it is your intent to un-check the circumstances known box after having
entered any number of circumstances, you MUST uncheck the individual circumstances first.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Circ

Person

Circumstances known

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Checkbox 1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCIRCUM

CME
MPCIRCUM

PR
PPCIRCUM

8-3

Homicide

Precipitated by another crime: Crime
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Crime

Definition
The homicide was precipitated by another serious crime (e.g., drug
dealing, robbery)

Response Options:
0
No, Not available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the proportion of homicides that are related to other criminal
activity. The criminology literature often divides homicides into two broad categories:
felony-related (e.g., stemming from a felony such as robbery or drug-trafficking) and nonfelony-related (e.g., stemming from interpersonal issues such as arguments, insults, abuse,
jealousy, or mental illness). This variable identifies those that fall into the first category. It
uses a somewhat broader definition than that used by the Supplementary Homicide Report
system — which counts felony-related homicides as only those that occur while another
felony is in progress.
Discussion
Code a victim as “Yes” for “Crime” if the incident occurred as the result of another serious
crime.








8-4

Serious crimes (such as drug trafficking, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson,
and witness intimidation/elimination) are felonies. These are crimes that carry a
sentence of one or more years in prison.
Misdemeanors such as traffic infractions, shoplifting, petty larceny (e.g., stealing
someone’s jacket), public drunkenness, and minor assaults (no injury or deadly
weapon involved) are not considered serious crimes.
This variable uses a broader definition of felony-related than is used in the SHR and
includes homicides committed in revenge over a previous felony or to protect
ongoing criminal activity.
The simple existence of an additional crime other than the homicide in an incident is
not sufficient grounds for endorsing “Crime”, as homicide suspects are frequently
charged with more than one crime (e.g., carrying a gun without a permit, destroying
evidence). The other crime must be a precipitating factor in order for a “Crime” to be
endorsed.
If you check “Crime”, you must indicate what the precipitating crime was (“Nature of
first other crime”) and if it was “in progress” at the time of the violent injury.
“Crime” must be checked for all incidents involving “Legal Intervention” as the
abstractor-assigned type of death.

Homicide
Examples
Yes
 A robbery of a convenience store is in progress and one of the customers is shot.
 A man kills the person who murdered his brother to avenge his death.
 A drug dealer kills a rival dealer who was encroaching on his territory.
 A drug dealer kills the man who robbed him last week to dissuade other
would-be robbers.
 An arsonist torched an apartment building and an elderly woman dies
in the blaze.
 A man is attempting to rob a couple. One of them pulls out a gun and
shoots him.
No
 A woman killed her husband during an argument; she then set the house on fire in an
attempt to cover up the crime. (While intentionally setting fire to property is a felony, the
arson was not a precipitating event.)
 A youth shot another boy after having accused him of stealing his gym shoes. (While the
suspected theft was a precipitating factor, it was not a serious crime.)
 The suspect violated a restraining order, broke into his ex-wife’s house, tortured her over
a period of several hours, and then shot her with a stolen gun. (While there are many
crimes going on in this incident, all of the offenses were part of the violence itself. There
was not a separate crime type like a robbery or a drug deal that lead to the homicide. The
precipitating factor was the intimate partner violence itself.)
 A husband killed his wife who just initiated a restraining order against him (this is not
witness intimidation and there was no felony crime that preceeded the homicide).
 A gang member in prison for robbery is killed by opposing gang members who did not
know him and were not involved in the previous robbery.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Crime Precipitated by another
crime

Person

Checkbox

Field
Priority
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCRIME

CME
MPCRIME

PR
PPCRIME

8-5

Homicide

Nature of first other crime: NtCrm1
Nature of second other crime: NtCrm2
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
NtCrm1
NtCrm2

Definition
Nature of the first crime that precipitated the homicide (Applies only
to crime-related homicides)
Nature of the second crime that precipitated the homicide (Applies
only to crime-related homicides with more than one precipitative
crime)

Response Options:
NtCrm1 and NtCrm2
1
Drug trade
2
Robbery
3
Burglary
5
Motor vehicle theft
6
Arson
7
Rape, sexual assault
9
Gambling
10
Assault, homicide
11
Witness intimidation/elimination
66
Other (specify in narrative)
88
Not applicable
99
Unknown
Uses
For cases in which the homicide was precipitated by another serious crime, these two
variables identify the specific type of crime involved. The information is used to
better characterize the types of criminal violence that lead to homicide.
Discussion
Code definitions:
 Drug trade – The buying, selling, or passing of drugs from one person to another in
exchange for goods or money.
 Robbery – Taking, or attempting to take, anything of value from another person or
persons by force or threat of force or violence. If money or goods are stolen without
force or threat of force (e.g., bookkeeper stealing money from a company, thieves
stealing equipment from a loading dock), the theft is not a robbery, but larceny, and
should be coded as “Other”.
 Burglary – The unlawful entry into a building or other structure without the owner’s
consent with the intent to commit a felony or a theft.
 Motor vehicle theft – The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle includes the
stealing of automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motor-scooters, snowmobiles,

8-6

Homicide










etc. Does not include taking a motor vehicle for temporary use by those persons
having lawful access, nor does it include stealing motor vehicle parts. Stealing motor
vehicle parts without force or the threat of force is larceny and should be coded as
“Other”.
Arson – To unlawfully and intentionally damage, or attempt to damage, any building,
real estate, or personal property by fire or incendiary device.
o An arsonist or building owner burns down a building for economic advantage
and someone dies in the fire;
o Victims are considered victims of a criminal homicide even if their deaths
were not intended.
o Firebugs” set fire to a building or property for kicks and someone dies in the
blaze.
o Do not code arson when it is used to cover up a homicide (because the arson
was not a precipitating event).
Rape, sexual assault – Sexual contact without consent. Includes sex with a minor
with or without consent. Ranges from the non-consensual touching of an intimate
part of the body to forced, manipulated, or coerced penetration. It can involve verbal
coercion and threats, physical restraint, intimidation, or violence.
Gambling – To play games of chance for money or other stakes with the hope of
gaining something beyond the amount played. This includes dealing, operating, or
maintaining any game.
Assault/homicide – An unlawful fatal or nonfatal attack by one person upon another.
To qualify as a serious crime, the assault should be an aggravated assault (one that
involves bodily injury or threat with a deadly weapon). Examples:
Yes
o Gang kills a rival gang member in retaliation for a previous homicide (the
current homicide was precipitated in part by the previous homicide);
o Police shoot a man who is stabbing a woman (the aggravated assault on the
woman precipitated the officer shooting).
No
o Two men are engaged in a fistfight; the fight escalates and one man shoots the
other. (In an incident involving mutual assault that escalates to homicide, the
initial assault is an integral part of the incident and not a separate precipitating
crime).
o This variable should only be selected if the homicide of the current victim (the
victim in the current incident) was preceded by the assault/homicide of
another victim. Consequently not all homicide cases will require that
assault/homicide be coded.
Witness intimidation/elimination – To prevent a witness from providing information
to the authorities about a crime either by killing, harming, or removing the witness,
or by intentionally saying or doing something that would cause the witness to be
fearful of providing information.

8-7

Homicide
Analysis
NVDRS
Name
NtCrm1
NtCrm2

Label
Nature of first other
crime
Nature of second
other crime

Table

Type

Field
Length

Priority

Primacy

Person

Number

2

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Person

Number

2

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCRIMEF
CPCRIMES

8-8

CME
MPCRIMEF
MPCRIMES

PR
PPCRIMEF
PPCRIMES

Homicide

First other crime in progress: InProg
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
InProg

Definition
The precipitative crime was in progress at the time of the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
For homicides that are precipitated by criminal activity such as drug dealing and robbery,
“InProg” identifies whether the associated crime was in progress. The Supplementary
Homicide Report system defines felony-related homicides only in terms of in-progress
felonies. Because NVDRS uses a broader definition, this variable identifies only those that
qualify as felony-related using the narrower definition.
Discussion
An in-progress crime is one that is being committed or attempted at the time of the homicide.
This includes fleeing the scene.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

InProg

First other crime
in progress

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

O/LR/LR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCIP

CME
MPCIP

PR
PPCIP

8-9

Homicide

Argument over money/property/drugs: Argue
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Argue

Definition
An argument or conflict over money or property led to the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable distinguishes homicide incidents that involve conflicts over money, property or
drugs from more general interpersonal conflicts. This is useful for specifying the context in
which drug-related homicides occur.
Discussion
Code when an interpersonal conflict between a victim and suspect involves conflict over
money, property, or drugs.
Examples
Yes
 The victim and suspect are overheard arguing about who owns a sofa
that belonged to the victim, but was left in the suspect’s apartment.
 The victim and suspect argue about how to divide up the cocaine they
just purchased.
 The victim owed the suspect money.
No
 The victim and the suspect, who were cousins, were heard arguing, but the subject of
the argument is unknown.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Argue

Argument over
money/property/drugs

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Person Checkbox 1
O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPARGUE

8-10

CME
MPARGUE

PR
PPARGUE

Homicide

Jealousy (lovers’ triangle): Jealous
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Jealous

Definition
Identifies cases in which jealousy or distress over an intimate
partner’s relationship or suspected relationship with another person
lead to the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable will better specify the nature of violence between intimate partners and sexual
rivals, for more accurate characterization of these incidents.
Discussion
In general, assume that if an incident involves sexual rivals; “Jealous” should be coded as
“Yes” unless the circumstances clearly do not involve jealousy.
Examples
Yes



An ex-wife is getting married to new boyfriend. Ex-husband waits for them to
leave ex-wife’s apartment, then shoots both.
A woman stabs her boyfriend after learning that he has been cheating on her.

No


An ex-boyfriend is buying drugs from his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend when
the new boyfriend is shot. Records indicate that the homicide was drug-related
and do not indicate jealousy as a factor.

Analysis
Name

Label

Jealous Jealousy (lover’s triangle)

Table

Type

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPJEALOU

CME
MPJEALOU

PR
PPJEALOU

8-11

Homicide

Intimate partner violence related: IPV
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
IPV

Definition
IPV identifies cases in which a homicide is related to conflict
between current or former intimate partners

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable will (1) track homicides in which one intimate partner (whether current or
former) kills another and (2) track deaths that are associated with intimate partner
conflict/violence but are not deaths of the intimate partners themselves. It will be used to
evaluate policies and programs aimed at reducing domestic violence.
Discussion
An intimate partner is defined as a current or former girlfriend/boyfriend, date, or spouse. If
other people are also killed (a child, friend of the victim, a bystander), and even if the
intimate partner is not (e.g., the child of the intimate partner is the victim), code “Yes” for
those victims as well. It will be apparent in the Victim-Suspect Relationship variable whether
the victim and suspect were intimate partners. The definition of intimate partner includes first
dates.
Examples
Yes
 A woman and her lawyer are getting into a car; the woman’s ex-boyfriend walks up
to the woman and shoots her and the lawyer. (Code “Yes” for both the woman and
the lawyer.)
 A man and his boyfriend are out at a party. The ex-boyfriend of the man is outraged
that he would show up at a party with his new boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend pulls out a
gun and shoots both. (Also code “Jealous” as “Yes”.)
 A man and woman are out on their first date. They go back to her apartment after the
date. The man tries to force the woman into bed and strangles her to death.
 A man shoots the child of his ex-girlfriend to get back at her for leaving him. The
woman is not killed.
 A man is beating his ex-girlfriend. The son of the woman intervenes and stabs the
boyfriend to death.
 A man threatens to stab his wife and she calls police. Police respond to the home and
the man is shot by law enforcement officers as he lunges at them with the knife.
No
 A man administers an overdose to his terminally-ill wife in a mercy killing. Wife
leaves note indicating her request that her husband end her life.
 A ‘john’ kills a prostitute he has been intimate with.
8-12

Homicide

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

IPV

Intimate partner
violence related

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPVIOINT

CME
MPVIOINT

PR
PPVIOINT

8-13

Homicide

Other argument, abuse, conflict: OthArg
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
OthArg

Definition
An argument or other interpersonal conflict such as abuse, insult,
grudge, or personal revenge that precipitated the killing. Excludes
arguments over money/property (Argue), intimate partner violence
(IPV), and jealousy between intimate partners (Jealous)

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
In conjunction with Argue, IPV, and Jealous, this variable can be used to assess how often
violence-related deaths are associated with interpersonal conflict or abuse.
Discussion
This variable is designed to capture all other types of interpersonal conflicts, arguments or
abuse that are not already covered by “Argument over money or property,” “Jealousy,” or
“Intimate partner violence related.”
Cases that appear to involve child abuse, elder abuse, and abuse by a caretaker should be
coded “Yes” for “OthArg”.
Examples
Yes
 The suspect was trying to quiet a crying baby when he lost his temper
and shook the baby to death (also indicate whether there was evidence
of ongoing abuse on the victim-suspect relationship table).
 The victim and suspect were arguing over a parking spot.
 The victim is killed by an acquaintance in retaliation for a dispute they had on the
basketball court earlier in the evening.
No


The victim is shot by an acquaintance for an unknown reason.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

OthArg

Other argument,
abuse, conflict

Person

8-14

Type

Field
Length
Checkbox 1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Homicide
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPARGO

CME
MPARGO

PR
PPARGO

8-15

Homicide

Drug involvement: Drug
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Drug

Definition
Drug dealing or illegal drug use is suspected to have played a role in
precipitating the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
Identifying drug involvement homicides will assist in more fully measuring the social costs
of drug activity and evaluating the impact of policies and programs aimed at reducing drug
trafficking and use.
Discussion
Code “Drug” as “Yes” if the homicide was related to illegally trafficking a controlled
substance (e.g., drug deal gone bad, drug market turf battle, theft of drugs or money from a
dealer during a drug deal, etc.) or drug use (e.g., addict committing robbery to obtain money
for drugs, arguments over drugs). This variable can be coded based on suspicion of drugrelatedness.
Examples
Yes
 For example, if the victim’s body was found in a crack house or the victim had illegal
drugs on his or her person at the time of death, code “Drug” as “Yes” unless it is noted in
the record that the precipitating circumstance was not drug-related.
 A drug purchaser argues with a drug dealer about being cheated on the last deal and the
dealer shoots him.
 A young dealer kills his grandmother because she will not allow him to sell drugs out of
her home.
 A drug dealer has a rival drug dealer murdered because he has been encroaching on the
first dealer’s territory.
 A crack addict robs and kills someone on the street for money to buy drugs.
 A 16 year-old addict kills his mother during a fight after she flushes his drugs down the
toilet.
 Two men break into the apartment of a drug dealer because they know he’s holding on to
a large sum of cash from a recent deal; they kill him and take the money.
 A homicide victim is found in his car with a large quantity of crack cocaine on the seat
next to him; no other information is available about what precipitated the homicide.
No
 A known drug dealer is murdered by his girlfriend after she discovers that he has been
sleeping with another woman. (Although he is a known drug dealer, the facts of the case

8-16

Homicide



are known to be related to sexual jealousy and intimate partner violence, not drug
dealing.)
A victim tests positive for cocaine at the time of autopsy without any other evidence of
the homicide being related to drug trade.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Drug

Drug
involvement

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPDRUG

CME
MPDRUG

PR
PPDRUG

8-17

Homicide

Gang related: Gang
Data Sources: CFE/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Gang

Definition
Gang rivalry or gang activities that are suspected to have played a role
in precipitating the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the proportion of homicides that are attributable to gang activity. It
can be used to evaluate the impact of programs or policies aimed at redirecting gang activity
or reducing gang membership.
Discussion
Gang members are persons who are members of an association or organization that has, as
one of its purposes, the commission of crime. Gangs include both youth gangs and organized
crime gangs.
 Code “Gang” as “Yes” if the police or CME report indicates that the homicide resulted,
or is suspected to have resulted, from gang rivalry or gang activity.
 Do not endorse “Gang” if the victim or suspect is a gang member, but the homicide did
not appear to result from gang activity.
Examples
Yes
 A gang member shoots a rival gang member in revenge over an earlier shooting.
 A member of a gang that controls drug trafficking in the neighborhood shoots a man who
robbed one of their dealers.
No
 A man shoots another young man over an insult the young man made about the
suspect’s girlfriend. The victim is a gang member. (Although the victim is a gang
member, the incident is not related to gang activity. Indicate in the narrative that the
victim is a gang member.)
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Gang

Gang
related

Person

Checkbox

8-18

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Homicide
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGANG

CME
MPGANG

PR
PPGANG

8-19

Homicide

Hate crime: Hate
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Hate

Definition
The homicide was precipitated by a hate crime (specify type in
incident narrative)

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
A crime of aggravated assault, arson, burglary, criminal homicide, motor vehicle theft,
robbery, sexual assault, or crime involving bodily injury in which the victim was
intentionally selected because of his or her actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, or disability.
Specify the type of hate crime in the incident narrative.
Yes

No


The victim was stabbed to death by his wife when he told her he was bisexual (code
‘intimate partner problem’ as ‘yes’ but not hate crime).

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Hate

Hate
crime

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPHATE

8-20

CME
MPHATE

PR
PPHATE

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Homicide

Brawl (mutual physical fight): Brawl
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Brawl

Definition
A mutual physical fight preceded the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
Brawl – Three or more persons were involved in a mutual, physical fight. The brawl may or
may not escalate to involve weapons.
 Do not code Brawl if the attack was one-sided (e.g., a group beats a single victim to
death).
 Do not code as Brawl if only two people were fighting.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Brawl

Brawl (mutual
physical fight)

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPBRAWL

CME
MPBRAWL

PR
PPBRAWL

8-21

Homicide

Terrorist attack: Terror
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Terror

Definition
The homicide resulted from a terrorist attack

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
The victim was injured in a terrorist attack, whether with conventional, chemical, biological,
or other weapons. The NVDRS uses the FBI definition of terrorism: “Injuries resulting from
the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a
government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or
social objectives.”
 Terrorism is not limited to terrorism by foreign nationals but includes domestic
terrorism as well (e.g., abortion clinic bombing, anti-war bombing).
 This would include those who died while assisting in rescue operations from the
attack.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Terror

Terrorist
attack

Person

Type
Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPTERROR

8-22

CME
MPTERROR

PR
PPTERROR

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Homicide

Victim was a bystander: Bystd
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Bystd

Definition
The victim was a bystander, not the intended target of the homicide

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
The victim was a bystander and not directly involved in the incident (e.g., pedestrian walking
past a gang fight, customer in a convenience store at the time of a robbery). Also code the
precipitative event (e.g., gang-related, robbery).
Examples
Yes
 Two victims in a motor vehicle are killed during a road rage incident. A third victim, in
another unrelated motor vehicle, was killed when her vehicle was hit accidentially by the
victim’s car.
No
 A passerby attempts to break up a heated argument and is attacked by one of the parties.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Bystd

Victim
was a
bystander

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPBYSTND

CME
MPBYSTND

PR
PPBYSTND

8-23

Homicide

Victim was a police officer on duty: PolOff
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
PolOff

Definition
The victim was a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
At the time of the incident, the victim was a law enforcement officer killed in the line of
duty. Also code the precipitating event.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

PolOff

Victim was a police
officer on duty

Type
Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Person

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPOLICE

8-24

CME
MPPOLICE

PR
PPPOLICE

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Homicide

Justifiable self defense/law enforcement: Defens
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Defens

Definition
The homicide was committed by a law enforcement officer in the line
of duty or was committed by a civilian in legitimate self-defense or in
defense of others

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the subset of homicides that involve socially-sanctioned use of lethal
force.
Discussion
Justifiable homicides include those that are committed by a law enforcement officer in the
line of duty or by a civilian in self-defense or in defense of others. Self-defense is defined as
the right of a civilian to repel by force, even to the taking of life, or in defense of his person
or property against anyone who attempts by violence or surprise to commit a forcible felony.
 Essential elements of self-defense are that the civilian does not provoke the difficulty and
that there must be impending peril without a convenient or reasonable mode of escape.
 Sufficient evidence is required to support coding a case as a defensive or justifiable act. It
is not enough that the police record notes that the suspect claims his or her life was in
danger.
 Acceptable evidence is that either the SHR codes the case as a justifiable homicide or
police records indicate that police and prosecutors have classified the case as a justifiable
homicide.
 If a case is coded as “Yes” for this circumstance, be sure to code the precipitating event
that led to the killing under the “Precipitating crime,” “Nature of the crime,” and “Crime
in progress” variables.
 Any killing by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty is considered a justifiable
homicide for purposes of this variable, with the exception of an intentional murder.
Examples
Yes
 An armed suspect enters a gas station to commit a robbery; the clerk pulls a gun out from
under the counter and kills the suspect.
 An officer is attempting to apprehend a robbery suspect; the suspect pulls a gun and fires
at the officer, and the officer returns fire, shooting the suspect.
 An officer stops a man erroneously believed to be a suspect in a robbery. The man
reaches for his wallet to prove his identity, but the officer mistakes this as going for a gun
and shoots the man. (Whether the killing was truly justifiable is not something that the

8-25

Homicide
coder should interpret; because the officer was acting in the line of duty, it should be
coded as “Yes”.)
No
 The victim and suspect are arguing and begin shoving one another; the victim pulls out a
knife; the suspect pulls out his gun and shoots the victim. The suspect is charged with
second-degree murder.
 A woman kills her boyfriend against whom she has a restraining order. She claims selfdefense, but she is charged with murder. (Although she may eventually be acquitted of
the charges, code based on the current police-designated status of the case.)
 An on-duty police officer drives to his wife’s place of work and kills her. He is arrested
for her murder. (Although he is on duty at the time, the killing was not in the line of
duty.)
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Defens Justifiable self defense/
law enforcement

Type

Person

Field
Priority
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Checkbox

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSELFDF

8-26

CME
MPSELFDF

PR
PPSELFDF

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

Homicide

Victim used weapon: UsedWeap
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
UsedWeap

Definition
The victim used a weapon during the course of the incident

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the subset of homicides that involve armed victims who used their
weapon during the course of the incident.
Discussion
Code “UsedWeap” as “Yes” if the victim was armed with a weapon such as a gun, knife, or
blunt instrument and used the weapon either to attack or to defend against the suspect or
another person during the incident.
 Please also code this variable as “Yes” when a person made an attempt to use a weapon.
For example, if a person made an attempt to pull a gun, but did not actually fire a round.
 An unloaded, inoperable, or fake weapon (such as a realistic-looking toy) that is used by
the victim to threaten or defend against attack should be coded as “Yes.”
Examples
Yes
 Two men are arguing; one goes after the other with a knife. The suspect stabs the man
with the knife.
 A police officer stops a man for a routine traffic violation; the man attempts to run the
officer down with his vehicle and the officer shoots the man. (The car is considered a
weapon in this scenario.)
No
 At the murder scene, investigators find the victim’s pistol in his shoulder holster.
 A cornered suspect was killed by law enforcement when he reached into a bag.
Assuming he was going to pull out a weapon, the police shot him. He actually was
reaching for his cell phone.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

UsedWeap Victim used weapon

Person

Checkbox

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
1
O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

8-27

Homicide
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPWEAPUS

8-28

CME
MPWEAPUS

PR
PPWEAPUS

Homicide

Victim was intervener assisting crime victim: Interv
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Interv

Definition
An intervener other than a law enforcement officer was killed
while assisting a crime victim

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
The victim was attempting to assist a crime victim at the time of the incident. Also code the
crime in which the victim was intervening.
Examples
 A woman was being beaten by her boyfriend; her child intervened and the boyfriend
killed the child.
 A firefighter dies from smoke inhalation while trying to put out a fire set by an
arsonist.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Interv

Victim was intervener
assisting crime victim

Person

Checkbox

Field
Priority
Length
1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPINTERV

CME
MPINTERV

PR
PPINTERV

8-29

Homicide

Mercy killing: Mercy
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Mercy

Definition
The victim requested that his or her life be brought to an end so the
suspect committed the act to bring about the victim’s death

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
The suspect acts to bring about immediate death allegedly in a painless way and based on a
clear indication that the dying person wished to die because of a terminal or hopeless disease
or condition.
 Do not assume that a murder/suicide by a sick, elderly couple is a mercy
killing.
 Code “Mercy” as “Yes” only when there is documentation that the victim
wanted to be killed (e.g., left a note, told a relative or friend) and the police
are not charging the suspect with an intentional homicide.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Mercy

Mercy killing

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPMERCY

8-30

CME
MPMERCY

PR
PPMERCY

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Homicide

Other homicide circumstance: Other
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Other

Definition
Other homicide circumstance

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Mentally ill suspect
2
Random violence
3
Drive-by shooting
4
Other
Uses
This data element characterizes the precipitants of violent deaths and help to identify trends
in subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence.
Discussion
Mentally ill suspect
The suspect’s attack on the victim is believed to be the direct result of the suspect’s mental
illness.
Examples


A suspect attacks a woman on the street and claims that an angel told him the
woman was one of Satan’s minions.

Random violence
The victim was killed by a random act of violence. A random act is one in which the suspect
is not concerned with who is being harmed, just that someone is being harmed, such as a
person who shoots randomly at passing cars from a highway bridge or opens fire in a
crowded shopping mall.
 This code should not be used for unsolved homicides.
 It should also not be used for cases in which the overall target was chosen
intentionally (such as a white supremacist group opening fire in a daycare
center that serves children of color, or a suspect returning to the job from
which he was recently fired and kills several people; while the actual
individuals may have been selected at random, the place was intentionally
targeted).

8-31

Homicide
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is one in which the suspect or group of suspects drives near an intended
victim or target and shoots while driving.
 Code “Drive-by” even if the actual victim was a bystander and not the intended
victim.
 Drive-by is the mechanism by which the victim was shot; also choose a precipitating
circumstance code to document why the drive-by occurred, if known.
 Drive-by shootings must involve a motorized vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, truck)
and does not include modes of transportation like bicycles, skateboards, etc.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Other

Mentally
ill suspect

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPHOMIO

8-32

CME
MPHOMIO

PR
PPHOMIO

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Section 9
Unintentional Firearm Injury Circumstances
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Circumstances known

Circ

9-3

Hunting

Hunt

9-4

Target shooting

Miss

9-5

SelfDef

9-6

Celeb

9-7

LoadGun

9-8

Cleaning gun

Clean

9-9

Showing gun to others

Show

9-10

Playing with gun

Play

9-11

OtherAcc

9-12

Thought safety was engaged

Safety

9-13

Thought unloaded, magazine disengaged

UnlMg

9-14

Thought gun was unloaded, other

Unloa

9-15

Pull

9-16

Bullet ricochet

Richo

9-17

Gun defect or malfunction

Defct

9-18

Fired while holstering/unholstering

Holst

9-19

DropGun

9-20

Engag

9-21

Gun mistaken for toy

Toy

9-22

Other mechanism of injury

FOth

9-23

Self-defensive shooting
Celebratory firing
Loading/unloading gun

Other context of injury

Unintentionally pulled trigger

Dropped gun
Fired while operating safety/lock

Unintentional Firearm

Circumstances known: Circ
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Circ

Definition
Indicates if any information is available about the circumstances associated
with the incident

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
This variable operates as a stem question. Checking the circumstances known box causes the
individual circumstances to appear on the screen. Un-checking the circumstances known box
causes the circumstances to disappear and implies that the circumstances preceding the
incident are not known.
Discussion
Important Note: If it is your intent to un-check the circumstances known box after having
entered any number of circumstances, you MUST uncheck the individual circumstances first.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Circ

Person

Circumstances known

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Checkbox 1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCIRCUM

CME
MPCIRCUM

PR
PPCIRCUM

9-3

Unintentional Firearm

Hunting: Hunt
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Hunt

Definition
Occurred while hunting or on a hunting trip

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “Hunt” as “Yes” if an unintentional firearm injury occurred while the shooter or victim
was hunting or on a hunting trip.
 Include any incident that occurs after leaving home and before returning home from
hunting.
 The shooting itself need not have been during an active hunt to be considered huntingrelated. For example, a hunter who has finished hunting and accidentally shoots himself
while loading his rifle in the truck for the return trip home is considered a hunting
accident.
 If an injury occurs before or after the hunting trip (e.g., while cleaning a gun in
preparation for a hunting trip), the incident should not be coded as hunting-related.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Hunt

Hunting

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPHUNT

9-4

CME
MPHUNT

PR
PPHUNT

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Target Shooting: Miss
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Miss

Definition
Occurred while target shooting

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “Miss” as “Yes” if the shooter is aiming for a target and unintentionally hits a person.
Target shooting can occur either in the setting of a formal shooting range or in an informal
“backyard” setting (e.g., teenagers shooting at signposts on a fence).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Miss

Target
shooting

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPTARGET

CME
MPTARGET

PR
PPTARGET

9-5

Unintentional Firearm

Self-defensive shooting: SelfDef
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
SelfDef

Definition
Self-injury occurred while defending against a suspected aggressor

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “SelfDef” as “Yes” when a victim is attempting to defend him or herself with a gun
and inadvertently shoots him or herself.
 Endorse “SelfDef” only if the shooting was self-inflicted.
 Shootings of one person by another that occur during a self-defensive shooting (e.g.,
when a store clerk unintentionally shoots a customer while aiming for a robber)
should be coded as “homicide” for Type of Death.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

SelfDef

Self-defensive
shooting

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSHOTDF

9-6

CME
MPSHOTDF

PR
PPSHOTDF

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Celebratory firing: Celeb
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Celeb

Definition
Occurred while firing celebratory shots

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “Celeb” as “Yes” when the shooter was firing the gun upward in a celebratory manner
with no intention of threatening or endangering others (e.g., revelers on New Year’s Eve
shooting their guns in the air at midnight).
 Firing warning shots in the air (for example to break up a fight) should not be coded as
celebratory if the shot unintentionally strikes a bystander, but should be coded as
homicide for Type of Death (since the gun was used in a threatening manner to control
others).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Celeb

Celebratory
Fighting

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCELEB

CME
MPCELEB

PR
PPCELEB

9-7

Unintentional Firearm

Loading/unloading gun: LoadGun
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
LoadGun

Definition
Occurred while loading or unloading a gun

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “LoadGun” as “Yes” if the firearm discharges while the shooter is loading or unloading
ammunition from the gun.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

LoadGun

Loading/ unloading
gun

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNLOA

9-8

CME
MPGUNLOA

PR
PPGUNLOA

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Cleaning gun: Clean
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Clean

Definition
Occurred while cleaning a gun

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “Clean” as “Yes” if the shooter pulls the trigger or the gun discharges while a person is
cleaning the gun.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Clean

Cleaning gun

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNCL

CME
MPGUNCL

PR
PPGUNCL

9-9

Unintentional Firearm

Showing gun to others: Show
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Show

Definition
Occurred while showing a gun to others

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “Show” as “Yes” if the shooter was showing the gun to another person when the gun
discharged or the trigger was pulled.
Examples
 A teenager is showing his father’s new gun to his friend and it discharges killing the
victim
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Show

Showing gun to
others

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNSHO

9-10

CME
MPGUNSHO

PR
PPGUNSHO

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Playing with gun: Play
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Play

Definition
Occurred while playing or “fooling around” with a gun

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “Play” as “Yes” if the shooter was playing with a gun when it discharged.
 Other phrases that would trigger coding this context include “horsing around” and
“fooling around.”
 This variable is not limited to children.
Examples
 Two teenaged brothers are playing a game of quick draw with their father’s revolvers.
They are unaware that one of the guns has a bullet in the cylinder.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Play

Playing with gun

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNPL

CME
MPGUNPL

PR
PPGUNPL

9-11

Unintentional Firearm

Other context of injury: OthAcc
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
OthAcc

Definition
Occurred within a context other than the above categories

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the contexts within which an unintentional shooting occurs. It can be
used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional shootings over time and will aid in
planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at improving gun design, reducing
child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other strategies.
Discussion
Code “OthAcc” as “Yes” if the shooting occurs during some context other than those
described by the existing codes.
 Always describe the other context of injury in the narrative.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

OthAcc

Other context of
injury

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPCONTXT

9-12

CME
MPCONTXT

PR
PPCONTXT

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Thought safety was engaged: Safety
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Safety

Definition
Shooter thought the gun was inoperable because the safety was
engaged

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Safety” as “Yes” if the shooter thought the safety was on and the firearm would not
discharge.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Safety

Thought safety
was engaged

Person

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Checkbox 1
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNSAF

CME
MPGUNSAF

PR
PPGUNSAF

9-13

Unintentional Firearm

Thought unloaded, magazine disengaged: UnlMg
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
UnlMg

Definition
Shooter thought the gun was unloaded because the magazine was
disengaged

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “UnlMg” as “Yes” if the shooter believed the gun was unloaded because the magazine
was disengaged.
 This circumstance would not apply to revolvers, derringers, or certain long guns that do
not use a magazine.
 Frequently when the magazine is removed from a semi-automatic pistol, the gun handler
believes it is unloaded when in fact a cartridge may remain in the firing chamber.
Analysis
Name

Label

UnlMg Thought unloaded,
magazine disengaged

Table

Type

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNMAG

9-14

CME
MPGUNMAG

PR
PPGUNMAG

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Thought gun was unloaded, other: Unloa
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Unloa

Definition
Shooter thought the gun was unloaded (other or unspecified reason)

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Unloa” as “Yes” if the shooter thought the gun was unloaded for a reason other than
the magazine was disengaged or for an unspecified reason.
Examples
 A child had previously played with the gun when it was unloaded and
assumed it still was.
 A sports shooter always left his gun unloaded and was unaware that his son
had borrowed it and left it loaded.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Unloa

Person

Checkbox

Thought gun was
unloaded, other

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNUNL

CME
MPGUNUNL

PR
PPGUNUNL

9-15

Unintentional Firearm

Unintentionally pulled trigger: Pull
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Pull

Definition
Shooter unintentionally pulled the trigger

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Pull” as “Yes” if a person unintentionally pulled the trigger.
Examples
 While grabbing for a falling gun or while reaching for the gun, the shooter
unintentionally pulled the trigger.
 While holding the gun too tightly with the finger on the pull, the shooter
unintentionally pulled the trigger.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Pull

Unintentionally Person
pulled trigger

Type
Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNTRG

9-16

CME
MPGUNTRG

PR
PPGUNTRG

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Bullet ricochet: Richo
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Richo

Definition
The bullet ricocheted and unintentionally struck the victim

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Richo” as “Yes” if a bullet ricocheted off course from its intended target and struck
the victim.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Richo

Bullet ricochet

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPRICOCH

CME
MPRICOCH

PR
PPRICOCH

9-17

Unintentional Firearm

Gun defect or malfunction: Defct
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Defct

Definition
The gun had a defect or malfunctioned

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Defct” as “Yes” if the shooting resulted from a gun defect or malfunction. Because it
is difficult for a non-expert to judge whether a shooting resulted from operator error vs. a true
defect or malfunction, this code should be based on a finding by a trained firearm and
toolmark examiner.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Defct

Gun defect or
malfunction

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNDEF

9-18

CME
MPGUNDEF

PR
PPGUNDEF

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Fired while holstering/unholstering: Holst
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Holst

Definition
Shooter unintentionally fired the gun while holstering or unholstering
the gun or removing it from or replacing it in his or her clothing

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Holst” as “Yes” if the gun was being placed in or removed from its holster or clothing
when it discharged.
Examples
 The gun fires when a victim is pulling it from the waistband of his pants.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Holst

Person

Checkbox

Fired while holstering/
unholstering

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
1
O/LR/LR CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNHOL

CME
MPGUNHOL

PR
PPGUNHOL

9-19

Unintentional Firearm

Dropped gun: DropGun
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
DropGun

Definition
The gun discharged when it was dropped

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “DropGun” as “Yes” if the gun accidentally discharges when it is dropped or when
something is dropped on it. This code applies to situations in which the impact of the crash
causes the gun to discharge. It does not apply to situations in which a gun starts to fall and is
fired when the handler grabs for it and unintentionally pulls the trigger. That situation should
be coded as Pull.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

DropGun

Dropped gun

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNDRP

9-20

CME
MPGUNDRP

PR
PPGUNDRP

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Fired while operating safety/lock:

Engag

Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Engag

Definition
Shooter unintentionally fired the gun while operating the safety lock

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Engag” as “Yes” if the shooting occurred while the gun handler was attempting to
open or close the lock and unintentionally fired the gun. This variable will be important in
detecting any unintended injuries that result from using safety equipment.
Examples
 While attempting to pull the cable lock free of the trigger, the victim
unintentionally pulled the trigger
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Engag

Fired while operating
safety/lock

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNLOC

CME
MPGUNLOC

PR
PPGUNLOC

9-21

Unintentional Firearm

Gun Mistaken for toy: Toy
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Toy

Definition
The gun was mistaken for a toy

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “Toy” as “Yes” if a person (usually a child) thought the gun was a toy and was firing it
without understanding the danger.
 This code applies to the shooter’s understanding of the gun that he or she was
handling.
 It does not apply to situations in which a person kills another person because
they thought the victim was aiming a gun (in reality, a toy) at them. These
situations would be coded as homicides.
Analysis
Name
Toy

Label

Table

Type

Gun mistaken for toy

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPGUNTOY

9-22

CME
MPGUNTOY

PR
PPGUNTOY

Priority
O/LR/LR

Primacy
CFR/CME/PR

Unintentional Firearm

Other mechanism of injury: FOth
Data Sources: CFR/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
FOth

Definition
Other mechanism of injury

Response Options:
0
No, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable identifies the specific mechanism by which the gun was fired and hit another
person unintentionally. They can be used to identify trends in subtypes of unintentional
shootings over time and will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs targeted at
improving gun design, reducing child access to guns, teaching gun safety, and other
strategies.
Discussion
Code “FOth” as “Yes” if the shooting occurred as the result of a mechanism not already
described by one of the existing codes.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

FOth

Person

Checkbox

Other mechanism
of injury

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O/LR/LR

CFR/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPOTHMEC

CME
MPOTHMEC

PR
PPOTHMEC

9-23

Section 10
Police Report Main Elements

Note: All PR variables are duplicates and have been discussed in previous sections of this
manual. Please refer to the index to locate an explanation of specific variable coding.

Section 11
Supplementary Homicide Report
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

SHR circumstance

SCirc

11-3

SHR situation

Situat

11-5

SHR homicide type

HomTyp

11-6

SHR justifiable homicide circumstance

JustSCirc

11-7

SHR

SHR circumstance: SCirc
Data Sources: SHR
NVDRS Name
SCirc

Definition
This data element indicates the circumstance leading to homicides for
deaths reported on the Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) or the
National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Response Options:
2
Rape
3
Robbery
5
Burglary
6
Larceny
7
Motor vehicle theft
9
Arson
10
Prostitution and commercialized vice
17
Other sex offense
18
Narcotic drug laws
19
Gambling
26
Other felony type – not specified
32
Abortion
40
Lovers’ triangle
41
Child killed by babysitter
42
Brawl due to influence of alcohol
43
Brawl due to influence of narcotics
44
Argument over money or property
45
Other arguments
46
Gangland killings
47
Juvenile gang killings
48
Institutional killings
49
Sniper attack
50
Victim shot in hunting accident
51
Gun-cleaning death, other than self-inflicted
52
Children playing with gun
53
Other negligent handling of gun
59
All other manslaughter by negligence except traffic deaths
60
Other non-felony type homicide
70
Suspected felony type
80
Felon killed by private citizen
81
Felon killed by police
88
Not applicable
99
Circumstances undetermined

11-3

SHR
Uses
This data element assists in describing the precipitants of homicides and identifies trends in
subtypes of violence over time. It will aid in planning and evaluating prevention programs
targeted at specific subtypes of violence and unintentional injury.
Discussion
This variable provides the information supplied by the SHR about the circumstances
precipitating a homicide.
 It should be completed for all victims in the SHR reports.
 Codes should be entered exactly as they appear in the SHR database, even if
the abstractor believes an individual code was chosen in error.
 If your state uses codes in addition to the standard FBI code list for
circumstance, find out from your state Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
coordinator how that code will be mapped to the standard FBI list and enter
that code.
 If the SHR is not available, code the case as 88.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

SCirc

SHR
Person
circumstance

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SHR
SPSHRCIR

11-4

Type
Number

Field
Length
2

Priority

Primacy

LR

SHR

SHR

SHR situation: Situat
Data Sources: SHR
NVDRS Name
Situat

Definition
Indicates whether single or multiple victims and offenders were
involved in the incident

Response Options:
1
A – Single victim/single offender
2
B – Single victim/unknown offender(s)
3
C – Single victim/multiple offenders
4
D – Multiple victims/single offender
5
E – Multiple victims/multiple offender
6
F – Multiple victim/unknown offenders
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
This data element is used to better describe the incident. It is useful for classifying types and
situations of homicide for developing and evaluating prevention programs.
Discussion
None
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Situat

SHR situation

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR

SHR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SHR
SPSHRSIT

11-5

SHR

SHR homicide type: HomTyp
Data Sources: SHR
NVDRS Name
HomTyp

Definition
Indicates type of homicide (murder/nonnegligent manslaughter or
manslaughter by negligence).

Response Options:
1
Murder/nonnegligent manslaughter
2
Manslaughter by negligence
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
This data element is used to better describe the incident. It is useful for classifying types and
situations of homicide for developing and evaluating prevention programs.
Discussion
The variable “HomTyp” provides information supplied by the SHR.
 It should be completed on all victims appearing in the SHR reports.
 The coding system mirrors that used by the national SHR.
 The homicide type (offense code) indicates whether the homicide was classified as a:
1. murder/nonnegligent manslaughter (i.e., interpersonal violence-related)
2. manslaughter by negligence
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

HomTyp

SHR homicide
type

Person

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SHR
SPSHRHOM

11-6

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR

SHR

SHR

SHR justifiable homicide circumstance: JustSCirc
Data Sources: SHR
NVDRS Name
JustSCirc

Definition
Captures additional details about the circumstances associated with
justifiable shootings of one person by another as coded in the
Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR)

Response Options:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
88
99

Felon attacked police officer
Felon attacked fellow police officer
Felon attacked civilian
Felon attempted flight from a crime
Felon killed in commission of a crime
Felon resisted arrest
Not enough information to determine
Not a justifiable homicide
Not applicable (e.g., accident, suicide)
Missing

Uses
This data element describes the use of deadly force for self-defense or in the line of law
enforcement duty.
Discussion
This variable provides the information supplied by the SHR about the circumstances
precipitating a justifiable homicide.
 Codes should be entered exactly as they appear in the SHR database
(subcircumstance variable), even if the abstractor believes an individual code
was chosen in error.
 If your state uses codes in addition to the standard FBI code list for
circumstance, find out from your state Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
coordinator how that code will be mapped to the standard FBI list and enter
that code.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

SCirc

Person

SHR justificable homicide
circumstance

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Number 2
LR
SHR

11-7

SHR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SHR
SPSHRJUS

11-8

Section 12
Hospital Information

Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

EmDep

12-3

Hosp

12-4

First external cause of injury code from hospital

HECd9a

12-5

Second external cause of injury code from hospital

HECd9b

12-5

Victim seen in ED
Victim admitted to inpatient care

Hospital

Victim seen in ED: EmDep
Data Sources: Hospital records
NVDRS Name
EmDep

Definition
Victim seen in emergency department

Response Options:
0
1
9

No
Yes
Unknown

Uses
This variable is useful for both medical care planning and surveillance system planning and
for describing the burden of violent injury.
Discussion
Victims who arrived at the emergency department should be coded as “Yes,” regardless of
whether they were dead or alive on arrival and regardless of whether they received treatment.
 Most violent injury patients will have been seen in the emergency department if they
were later admitted to inpatient care. If they were admitted to inpatient care, also code
“EmDep” as “Yes”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

EmDep

Victim seen in ED

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR

ED

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
HOSP
EPEDVIS

12-3

Hospital

Victim admitted to inpatient care: Hosp
Data Sources: Hospital records
NVDRS Name
Hosp

Definition
Victim admitted to inpatient care at an acute care hospital

Response Options:
0 No, Not Collected, Not Available, Unknown
1 Yes
Uses
This variable is useful for both medical care planning and surveillance system planning and
for describing the burden of violent injury.
Discussion
Victims who were admitted to inpatient care should be coded as “Yes”.
 If a victim was admitted for an “observation only” overnight stay and not
admitted as an inpatient, code as “No”.
 If the victim was noted as having been in the operating room, code “Hosp” as
“Yes” even if the victim died in the operating room.
Analysis
Name Label

Table

Type

Hosp

Person

Checkbox

Victim admitted to
inpatient care

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
HOSP
HPADMIT

12-4

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR

HOSP

Hospital

First external cause of injury code from hospital: HECd9a
Second external cause of injury code from hospital: HECd9b
Data Sources: Hospital records
NVDRS Name
HECd9a
HECd9b

Definition
First “External cause of injury” code assigned by hospital
Second “External cause of injury” code assigned by hospital

Response Options:
Codes are provided by hospital in ICD format: ###.#
000.7
Not collected by reporting site
000.8
Not applicable
000.9
Unknown or missing
Uses
These variables are used to classify the case as unintentional, intentionally self-inflicted, or
assault-related.
Discussion
These variables should be coded as they appear in the hospital discharge data, or, if
unavailable, in the emergency department records. E-codes are assigned by the medical
records department using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical
Modification, to describe the external cause of an injury.
 Do not use trailing zeros after the decimal point (unless a true zero is part of the actual
code).
Analysis
Name

Label

HECd9a First external cause of injury code
from hospital
HECd9b Second external cause of injury
code from hospital

Person

Priority Primacy
Type Field
Length
Text 5
LR
HOSP

Person

Text

Table

5

LR

HOSP

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
HOSP
HPECODE1
HPECODE2

12-5

Section 13
Child Fatality Review
Variable Label
CFR records available on victim
Victim had a physical illness at time of incident
If yes, specify diagnosis
Victim had disability at time of incident
If yes, disability was physical
If yes, disability was developmental
If yes, disability was sensory
Infants: Prenatal care prior to the 3rd trimester
Infants: Maternal recreational drug use
Infants: Maternal alcohol use
Infants: Maternal tobacco use
Infants: Victim born prematurely
Prior CPS report on the victim‘s household
If yes, CPS report filed on whom
If yes, report substantiated
Physical abuse substantiated
Sexual abuse substantiated
Neglect substantiated
CPS case opened on other children due to this death
Victim contact with police
Victim contact with juvenile justice system
Victim contact with the health care system
Victim contact with mental health services
Household‘s contact with police
Victim/primary caregiver contact with social services
Victim/primary caregiver contact with WIC
Victim/primary caregiver contact with Medicaid
Primary caregiver on welfare/financial assistance
Specific person suspected
Suspect arrested as perp in this death
Suspect charged as perp in this death
Suspect prosecuted
Suspect convicted
Suspect convicted of original charge
CPS report or referral ever filed on the suspect
Suspect ever charged with a prior homicide

Variable Name
KCFR
KIllness2
KIllTxt
KDisable2
KDisPhy2
KDisDev2
KDisSens2
KPNCare
KPNSubs
KPNAlcoh
KPNTob
KPNPrem
KCPSRept
KCPSWho
KCPSTrue
KCPSPhys
KCPSSex
KCPSNeg
KCPSOpen
KLawVict2
KJuv2
KHealth2
KMHServ2
KLawHous2
KSocial2
KWIC2
KMedicaid2
KWelfare2
SusIdent
SArrest
SusChg
SusPros
SConvict
SOriginal
CPSRepFil
SusPrHomi

Page
13-5
13-6
13-6
13-8
13-8
13-8
13-8
13-10
13-11
13-11
13-11
13-13
13-14
13-14
13-14
13-16
13-16
13-16
13-18
13-19
13-19
13-19
13-19
13-21
13-22
13-22
13-22
13-24
13-25
13-25
13-25
13-25
13-25
13-25
13-25
13-25

Variable Label
Type of residence where victim lived
Length of time in residence
Unrelated adult living in victim’s household
Other children <18 years in household
Marital relationship of victim’s biological parents
Intimate partner violence in victim‘s household
Intimate partner violence in victim‘s foster home
Substance abuse in victim‘s household
Substance abuse in victim‘s foster home
Perpetrator was supervisor
Quality of supervision a factor
Supervisor’s relationship to victim
Supervisor’s age
Supervisor’s sex
No supervision
Surpervisor drug/alcohol impaired
Supervisor distracted or asleep
Other supervisory factor
Primary caregiver is a victim or suspect in the incident
If yes, caregiver‘s ID in the incident
Relationship to victim
Person lived with victim
Primary caregiver’s age at time of incident
Primary caregiver’s sex
Had legal custody of victim at time of death
Had documented history of maltreating
Had a previous child die in his/her care
CME records
SS/CPS records
Police/Law Enforcement records
School records
EMS records
Health Provider/Hospital records
Public Health Department records
Mental Health Records
Juvenile Justice records
Death Certificate
Other records
Specify (what other records)
CFR conclusion matches Death Certificate
If no, manner the CFR designated
Text to specify other manner
Action taken to change the official manner
Result of action

Variable Name
KResType
KResTime
KAdultUn
KKids
KMarital
KDV
KDVFos
KSubs
KSubsFos
KSupPerp
KSuperv
KSupRel
KSupAge
KSupSex
KSupNo
KSupDrug
KSupBusy
KSupOther
GPerson1/2
GPersID1/2
GRel1/2
GCohabit1/2
GAge1/2
GSex1/2
GCustody1/2
GCAN1/2
GDeath1/2
KRecME
KRecCPS
KRecLaw
KRecEdu
KRecEMS
KRecMD
KRecDOH
KRecPsy
KRecJuv
KRecDC
KRecOth
KRecTxt
KConclud
KManner
KMannTxt
KAction
KResult

Page
13-28
13-28
13-28
13-28
13-31
13-32
13-32
13-34
13-34
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-36
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-39
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-42
13-44
13-44
13-44
13-44
13-44

Variable Label
CFR determination of preventability
History of inpatient psychiatric treatment
Taking psychiatric medication at time of death
Barriers to accessing mental health care

Variable Name
KPrevent
HstPsyTr
PsyMed
BarAcsTr

Page
13-44
13-47
13-47
13-47

CFR

CFR records available on victim: KCFR
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KCFR

Definition
Describes whether Child Fatality Review (CFR) records are available
for this victim

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
This variable will be used as a branch question so that negative answers will trigger “Not
applicable” to be filled in for all data elements that are part of the CFR Module. It will also
provide an estimated frequency with which CFR records are available for child violent deaths
in NVDRS sites that collaborate with CFR programs.
Discussion
Code KCFR as “No” if the records have been requested for a child victim and the CFR
program either does not have a record for the victim or is unable to supply the record.
Analysis
Name

Label

KCFR CFR records available on
victim

Table

Type

Person

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority Primacy
O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPVICREC

13-5

CFR

Victim had a physical illness at time of incident: KIllness2
If yes, specify diagnosis: KIllTxt
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KIllness2
KIllTxt

Definition
Victim had an acute or chronic illness at the time of the incident
Free text field to indicate diagnosis if victim was ill at the time of the
incident

Response Options:
KIllness2
0
1
KIllTxt
Text

No, Unknown, Missing
Yes

Uses
Information regarding the victim’s state of health at the time of the fatal incident can be
helpful for determining potential risk factors for violent death. The stress of caring for an
acutely or chronically ill child can be a contributing factor to abusive behavior on the part of
a caregiver. Chronic illness can also be associated with depression, low self-esteem, and
substance abuse among older children, resulting in a potentially higher risk for suicidal and
homicidal behavior. This data element will help inform intervention and prevention efforts.
Discussion
Physical illness may be acute (e.g., viral gastroenteritis, pneumonia) or chronic (e.g.,
diabetes, asthma, sickle cell anemia).
 If the chronic illness did not impose increased care demands at the time of the incident,
do not code “Yes.”
 The severity of the illness should not be considered when coding KIllness2.
 Any mention in the record of the victim being physically ill at the time of the incident is
sufficient to warrant coding KIllness2 as “Yes”.
Examples
 For example, if a child had a history of asthma, but had no acute exacerbation at the time
of the incident, code “No.”
Analysis
Name

Label

KIllness2

Victim had a physical illness
at time of incident
If yes, specify diagnosis

KIllTxt

13-6

Table

Type

Field
Priority
Length
Person Checkbox 1
O

Primacy

Person Text

CFR

40

O

CFR

CFR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPILL2
CPILLDX

13-7

CFR

Victim had disability at time of incident: KDisable2
If yes, disability was physical: KDisPhy2
If yes, disability was developmental: KDisDev2
If yes, disability was sensory: KDisSens2
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KDisable2
KDisPhy2
KDisDev2
KDisSens2

Definition
Victim had a disability at the time of the incident
Victim’s disability was physical (e.g. paraplegic, cerebral palsy)
Victim’s disability was developmental (e.g. mentally retarded, autistic)
Victim’s disability was sensory (e.g. blind, deaf)

Response Options:
KDisable2
KDisPhy2
KDisDev2
KDisSens2
0
1

No, Unknown, Missing
Yes

Uses
Information regarding the victim’s state of health at the time of the fatal incident can be
helpful for determining potential risk factors for violent death. The stress of caring for an
acutely or chronically disabled child can be a contributing factor to abusive behavior on the
part of a caregiver. Chronic disability can also be associated with depression, low selfesteem, and substance abuse among older children, resulting in a potentially higher risk for
suicidal and homicidal behavior. This data element will help inform intervention and
prevention efforts.
Discussion
Physical disability implies a chronic physical impairment that has a substantial, long-term
effect on the child’s day-to-day function (e.g., cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury).
Developmental disability implies a chronic cognitive or developmental deficit that has a
substantial, long-term effect on the child’s day-to-day function (e.g., autism, mental
retardation).
Sensory disability implies a chronic sensory deficit that has a substantial, long-term impact
on the child’s day-to-day functioning (e.g., blindness, deafness).
Prematurity in and of itself should not be considered an illness or a disability unless it
resulted in a condition that fits into one of those categories (e.g., chronic lung disease, visual
impairment).
 Please see Prenatal History variables to code for prematurity (KPNPrem).

13-8

CFR




If a child was not specifically diagnosed with or documented to have one of the listed
disabilities, answer “No.”
The answer “No” may thereby include Missing and Unknown and “Known not to be
present.”
The information used to complete this data element may come from parental history (as
per law enforcement or CPS records), medical records, and/or autopsy.

Analysis
Name

Label

KDisable2

Priority
Field
Length
Person Checkbox 1
O
Table

Type

Victim had disability at time
of incident
KDisPhy2 If yes, disability was
Person Checkbox
physical
KDisDev2 If yes, disability was
Person Checkbox
developmental
KDisSens2 If yes, disability was sensory Person Checkbox

Primacy
CFR

1

O

CFR

1

O

CFR

1

O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPDIS2
CPDISPH2
CPDISDE2
CPDISSE2

13-9

CFR

Infants: Prenatal care prior to the 3rd trimester: KPNCare
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KPNCare

Definition
Victim’s (birth) mother received prenatal care prior to 3rd trimester

Response Options:
0
1
7
8
9

No
Yes
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
This data element is collected only on victims less than one year old. The prenatal history
variables will help to elucidate the relationship between the presence and duration of prenatal
care and violent child death. Lack of adequate prenatal care may be a proxy for a variety of
risk factors that may relate to violent child death (e.g., neglect, educational level, investment
in the concept of wellness care, etc.). Information gathered from this data element will
provide indirect information about the psychosocial environment of the child and medical
information. Certain conditions resulting from lack of prenatal care and/or exposure to toxins
in utero, place the child at increased risk of developmental delay and other long-term
sequelae which may place them at higher risk for violent death.
Discussion
Prenatal care is defined as pregnancy-related medical care delivered by a doctor, nurse, or
other healthcare professional with the goal of monitoring the pregnancy, providing education,
and increasing the likelihood of a positive maternal and fetal outcome. Answer “Yes” only if
there are documented prenatal visits before the third trimester.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

KPNCare

Infants: Prenatal care
prior to the 3rd
trimester

Person

Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPCARE

13-10

Field
Length
1

Priority Primacy
O

CFR

CFR

Infants: Maternal recreational drug use: KPNSubs
Infants: Maternal alcohol use: KPNAlcoh
Infants: Maternal tobacco use: KPNTob
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KPNSubs
KPNAlcoh
KPNTob

Definition
Victim was exposed to recreational drugs in utero
Victim was exposed to alcohol in utero
Victim was exposed to tobacco in utero

Response Options:
KPNSubs
KPNAlcoh
KPNTob
0
1
7
8
9

No
Yes
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
These data elements are collected only on victims less than one year old. The prenatal
alcohol and substance abuse history variables will help to elucidate the relationship between
the presence and duration of prenatal care and violent child death. Prenatal alcohol and
substance abuse may be a proxy for a variety of risk factors that may relate to violent child
death (e.g., neglect, educational level, investment in the concept of wellness care, etc.).
Information gathered from all of these data elements will provide indirect information about
the psychosocial environment of the child and medical information. Certain conditions
resulting from lack of prenatal care and/or exposure to toxins in utero, place the child at
increased risk of developmental delay and other long-term sequelae which may place them at
higher risk for violent death.
Discussion
Prenatal care is defined as pregnancy-related medical care delivered by a doctor, nurse, or
other healthcare professional with the goal of monitoring the pregnancy, providing education,
and increasing the likelihood of a positive maternal and fetal outcome.
Maternal recreational drug use includes all drugs (except alcohol and tobacco) that are either
non-prescription, or are being used in a manner inconsistent with safe prescribing practices.
 Answer “Yes” only if there is documented evidence or clear reports of substance, alcohol
or tobacco use during pregnancy with the victim.
 Despite history of maternal substance, alcohol, and/or tobacco use with prior pregnancies,
if it is not documented or evident during her pregnancy with the victim, the data element
should be coded “No.”

13-11

CFR
Analysis
Name

Label

Infants: Maternal
recreational drug use
KPNAlcoh Infants: Maternal
alcohol use
KPNTob
Infants: Maternal
tobacco use

Table

KPNSubs

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPDRUG
CPPETOH
CPPTOB

13-12

Primacy

Number

Priority
Field
Length
1
O

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Type

CFR

Person
Person
Person

CFR

Infants: Victim born prematurely: KPNPrem
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KPNPrem

Definition
Victim was born prematurely

Response Options:
0
1
7
8
9

No
Yes
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
This data element is collected only on victims less than one year old. The prematurity
variable will help to elucidate the relationship between the presence and duration of prenatal
care and violent child death. Prematurity may be a proxy for a variety of risk factors that may
relate to violent child death (e.g., neglect, educational level, investment in the concept of
wellness care, etc.). Information gathered from this data element will provide indirect
information about the psychosocial environment of the child and medical information.
Discussion
Prematurity is defined as an estimated gestational age less than 37 weeks. Code KPNPrem
‘Yes” if this is indicated in the source documents.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

KPNPrem

Infants: Victim born
prematurely

Person

Number

Field
Priority
Length
1
O

Primacy
CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPREMAT

13-13

CFR

Prior CPS report on the victim‘s household: KCPSRept
If yes, CPS report filed on whom: KCPSWho
If yes, report substantiated: KCPSTrue
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KCPSRept
KCPSWho
KCPSTrue

Definition
Prior CPS report was filed on the victim’s household
Person on behalf of whom or against whom a CPS report was filed
At least one prior CPS report filed on the victim’s household was
substantiated

Response Options:
KCPSRept
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KCPSWho
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9

Victim
Other child in household
Both
Adult in household
Other, or unspecified
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

KCPSTrue
0
1
7
8
9

No
Yes
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Information regarding prior reports on the victim and/or another child in the victim’s
household as victims of maltreatment will help characterize the environment in which the
decedent was living. A history of maltreatment is also a risk factor for homicidal and suicidal
behaviors in youth. Information from these data elements may give feedback on systems
issues and may elucidate opportunities for secondary prevention at a systems level.

13-14

CFR
Discussion
These variables refer to CPS contacts prior to the current incident, and not contacts that
resulted from the current case. “Household” is defined as the residence where the victim
lived the majority of the time when the fatal incident occurred. “Household” was chosen as
the unit for this question in an attempt to characterize the victim’s environment.
 In the case of a victim living with a foster family or in an institution at the time of the
fatal incident, answer regarding the family of origin.
 If known maltreatment existed in the foster family, describe in incident narrative. Please
note that a report or referral can be in reference to a child or an adult living in the
household.
 When the only information available is that a report was filed on the household, indicate
“Unknown” for KCPSWho.
 If a report was not made on behalf of a child in the household, but a report was filed
against an adult who currently lives in the household (e.g., no reports against the victim’s
mother, but the mother’s boyfriend was previously investigated for abuse), code
KCPSWho as “adult in household.”
 Any substantiation ever should be coded as “Yes” even if some of the reports/referrals
were substantiated and others were not.
Analysis
Name

Label

KCPSRept Prior CPS report on the victim‘s
household
KCPSWho If yes, CPS report filed on whom
KCPSTrue If yes, report substantiated

Table

Type
Number

Field
Priority
Length
1
O

Person
Person
Person

CFR

Number
Number

1
1

CFR
CFR

O
O

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPREPPRI
CPREPPER
CPREPSUB

13-15

Primacy

CFR

Physical abuse substantiated: KCPSPhys
Sexual abuse substantiated: KCPSSex
Neglect substantiated: KCPSNeg
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KCPSPhys
KCPSSex
KCPSNeg

Definition
At least one substantiated CPS report filed on the victim’s household
was for physical abuse
At least one substantiated CPS report filed on the victim’s household
was for sexual abuse
At least one substantiated CPS report filed on the victim’s household
was for neglect

Response Options:
KCPSPhys
KCPSSex
KCPSNeg
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
Information regarding prior reports on the victim and/or another child in the victim’s
household as victims of maltreatment will help characterize the environment in which the
decedent was living. A history of maltreatment is also a risk factor for homicidal and suicidal
behaviors in youth. Information from these data elements may give feedback on systems
issues and may elucidate opportunities for secondary prevention at a systems level.
Discussion
These variables refer to CPS contacts prior to the current incident, and not contacts that
resulted from the current case. “Household” is defined as the residence where the victim
lived the majority of the time when the fatal incident occurred. “Household” was chosen as
the unit for this question in an attempt to characterize the victim’s environment.
 In the case of a victim living with a foster family or in an institution at the time of the
fatal incident, answer regarding the family of origin.
 If known maltreatment existed in the foster family, describe in incident narrative. Please
note that a report or referral can be in reference to a child or an adult living in the
household.
 Any substantiation ever should be coded as “Yes” even if some of the reports/referrals
were substantiated and others were not.

13-16

CFR
Analysis
Name

Label

KCPSPhys Physical abuse
substantiated
KCPSSex Sexual abuse
substantiated
KCPSNeg Neglect
substantiated

Table

Type

Priority

Primacy

Number

Field
Length
1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Person
Person
Person

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSPHYAB
CPSSEXAB
CPSNEGL

13-17

CFR

CPS case opened on other children due to this death: KCPSOpen
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KCPSOpen

Definition
A CPS case was opened on other children as a result of this death

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
Information regarding prior reports on the victim and/or another child in the victim’s
household as victims of maltreatment will help characterize the environment in which the
decedent was living. A history of maltreatment is also a risk factor for homicidal and suicidal
behaviors in youth. Information from these data elements may give feedback on systems
issues and may elucidate opportunities for secondary prevention at a systems level.
Discussion
KCPSOpen refers to CPS contacts that resulted from the current case. “Household” is
defined as the residence where the victim lived the majority of the time when the fatal
incident occurred. “Household” was chosen as the unit for this question in an attempt to
characterize the victim’s environment.
 In the case of a victim living with a foster family or in an institution at the time of the
fatal incident, answer regarding the family of origin.
 If known maltreatment existed in the foster family, describe in incident narrative. Please
note that a report or referral can be in reference to a child or an adult living in the
household.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

KCPSOpen CPS case opened on
other children due to
this death

Person

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPREPNEW

13-18

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Number 1
O
CFR

CFR

Victim contact with police: KLawVict2
Victim contact with juvenile justice system: KJuv2
Victim contact with the health care system: KHealth2
Victim contact with mental health services: KMHServ2
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KLawVict2
KJuv2
KHealth2
KMHServ2

Definition
Victim had contact with police in the past 12 months
Victim had contact with juvenile justice system in the past 12 months
Victim had contact with health care system in the past 12 months
Victim had contact with mental health services in the past 12 months

Response Options:
KLawVict2
KJuv2
KHealth2
KMHServ2
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
Contacts with the system may occur at many different points. Each contact instance is a
potential opportunity for preventing violent death. The information collected in this data
element will demonstrate where children who suffer from different types of violent death
tend to come into contact with the system. That pattern recognition may serve as a guide for
allocating resources for prevention.
Discussion
The variables KLawVict2, KJuv2, KHealth2, and KMHServ2 all refer to whether the
child/victim had contact with these points in the system prior to the fatal incident.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Victim contact with police
Victim contact with
juvenile justice system
Victim contact with the
health care system
Victim contact with
KMHServ2 mental health
services

KlawVict2
KJuv2

Person
Person

Checkbox
Checkbox

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
1
O
CFR
1
O
CFR

KHealth2

Person

Checkbox

1

O

CFR

KMHServ2 Person

Checkbox

1

O

CFR

13-19

CFR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPOLVIC
CPJUVJU2
CPHLTHC2
CPMENTH2

13-20

CFR

Household‘s contact with police: KLawHous2
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KLawHous2

Definition
Household had contact with police in the past 12 months

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
Contacts with the system may occur at many different points. Each contact instance is a
potential opportunity for preventing violent death. The information collected in this data
element will demonstrate where children who suffer from different types of violent death
tend to come into contact with the system. That pattern recognition may serve as a guide for
allocating resources for prevention.
Discussion
KLawHous2 refers to the household’s history of contact with law enforcement (e.g., police
being called by neighbors secondary to domestic disturbance).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Household‘s contact
with police

KLawHous2

Person

Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPOLHO2

13-21

CFR

Victim/primary caregiver contact with social services: KSocial2
Victim/primary caregiver contact with WIC: KWIC2
Victim/primary caregiver contact with Medicaid: KMedicaid2
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KSocial2
KWIC2
KMedicaid2

Definition
Victm/primary caregiver had contact with social services in the past 12
months
Victim/primary caregiver had contact with WIC in the past 12 months
Victim/primary caregiver had contact with Medicaid in the past 12 months

Response Options:
KSocial2
KWIC2
KMedicaid2
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
Contacts with the system may occur at many different points. Each contact instance is a
potential opportunity for preventing violent death. The information collected in this data
element will demonstrate where children who suffer from different types of violent death
tend to come into contact with the system. That pattern recognition may serve as a guide for
allocating resources for prevention.
Discussion
These variables ask if either the child or the primary caregiver had contact with these points
in the system in the year prior to the incident. The social services system can include health
educator home visits or voluntary services, such as parenting support or respite services.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Victim/primary caregiver
KSocial2
Person
contact with social services
Victim/primary caregiver
KWIC2
Person
contact with WIC
Victim/primary caregiver
KMedicaid2 Person
contact with Medicaid

13-22

Type

Primacy

Checkbox

Field
Priority
Length
1
O

Checkbox

1

O

CFR

Checkbox

1

O

CFR

CFR

CFR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSOCSE2
CPWIC2
CPMEDIC2

13-23

CFR

Primary caregiver on welfare/financial assistance: KWelfare2
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KWelfare2

Definition
Primary caregiver was on welfare/financial assistance in the
past 12 months

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
Uses
Contacts with the system may occur at many different points. Each contact instance is a
potential opportunity for preventing violent death. The information collected in this data
element will demonstrate where children who suffer from different types of violent death
tend to come into contact with the system. That pattern recognition may serve as a guide for
allocating resources for prevention.
Discussion
This variable refers to whether the primary caregiver of the victim was on welfare or
receiving governmental financial assistance.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Primary caregiver on
welfare/financial assistance

KWelfare2

Person

Checkbox

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPWELFA2

13-24

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

O

CFR

CFR

Specific person suspected: SusIdent
Suspect arrested as perp in this death: SArrest
Suspect charged as perp in this death: SusChg
Suspect prosecuted: SusPros
Suspect convicted: SConvict
Suspect convicted of original charge: SOriginal
CPS report or referral ever filed on the suspect: CPSRepFil
Suspect ever charged with a prior homicide: SusPrHomi
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
SusIdent
SArrest
SusChg
SusPros
SConvict
SOriginal
CPSRepFil
SusPrHomi

Definition
Law enforcement identified the suspect by name
Suspect was arrested as a perpetrator in this death
Suspect was charged as a perpetrator in this death
Suspect was prosecuted as a perpetrator in this death
Suspect was convicted as a perpetrator in this death
Suspect was convicted of original charge
Child Protective Service report had previously been filed on this
suspect.
Suspect had ever been charged with a prior homicide

Response Options:
SusIdent
SArrest
CPSRepFil
SusPrHomi
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
SusChg
SusPros
0
No
1
Yes
3
Pending/In progress
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
SConvict
0
Acquitted
1
Convicted
3
Pending, in progress
7
Not collected by local CFR team
13-25

CFR
8
9
SOriginal
0
1
7
8
9

Not applicable
Unknown
No, convicted of lesser charge
Yes, convicted of original charge
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Information regarding the legal ramifications for the suspects (i.e. arrests, charges,
prosecution and convictions) will be helpful for evaluating law enforcement and criminal
justice system response to violent deaths. Information about the suspects’ past violent
behavior will help highlight system issues and opportunities for improvement.
Discussion
 Code “Yes” to SusIdent if a specific person was identified by law enforcement as a
suspect.
 If law enforcement does not know the identity (i.e., name) of the suspect, or if they only
have a physical description, code “No”.
 When answering suspect arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted and convicted of
original charge consider whether the suspect was arrested as a perpetrator in this death
(i.e., not only charged with lesser offenses such as the possession of a firearm without a
permit, or reckless endangerment).
 “CPS report or referral ever filed” refers to a prior Child Protective Services report filed
on the suspect as a perpetrator of child abuse or neglect.
 “Suspect ever charged with a prior homicide” refers to charges of homicide perpetration
prior to this victim, regardless of outcome. Homicide in this case can be of an adult or
child.
 If SConvict is coded “Acquitted” or “Pending,” code SOriginal as “Not applicable.”

13-26

CFR
Analysis
Name

Label

SusIdent
SArrest

Specific person suspected
Suspect arrested as perp in
this death
SusChg
Suspect charged as perp in
this death
SusPros
Suspect prosecuted
SConvict
Suspect was convicted as
perp in this death
SOriginal
Suspect convicted of
original charge
CPSRepFil CPS report or referral ever
filed on the suspect
SusPrHomi Suspect ever charged with a
prior homicide

Table

Type

Priority

Primacy

Number
Number

Field
Length
1
1

Person
Person

O
O

CFR
CFR

Person

Number

1

O

CFR

Person
Person

Number
Number

1
1

O
O

CFR
CFR

Person

Number

1

O

CFR

Person

Number

1

O

CFR

Person

Number

1

O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUS
CPSUSAR
CPSUSCH
CPSUSPR
CPSUSCN
CPSUSCNO
CPSUSCPS
CPSUSHOM

13-27

CFR

Type of residence where victim lived: KResType
Length of time in residence: KResTime
Unrelated adult living in victim’s household: KAdultUn
Other children <18 years in household: KKids
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KResType
KResTime
KAdultUn
KKids

Definition
Victim’s type of primary residence
Length of time in residence
Unrelated adult living in victim’s household?
Presence of other children under 18 years living in the victim’s
household

Response Options:
KResType
1
Victim’s family home
2
Foster family home
3
On own, e.g., living w boyfriend
4
Residential group home
5
Shelter
6
Juvenile detention facility, jail, prison
7
School/college
66
Other
77
Not collected by local CFR team
88
Not applicable (homeless or adult)
99
Unknown
KResTime
0
One week or less
1
Within the past month
2
Within the past 6 months (but greater than one month)
3
Between 6 months and 1 year
4
Between 1 to 5 years
5
More than 5 years
6
Other
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KAdultUn
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KKids
0
No
13-28

CFR
1
7
8
9

Yes
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
The role of these data elements is to provide information about the type and stability of
residence at the time of fatal incident. In addition, these variables will provide information
about risk factors for child maltreatment in the home (such as having an unrelated adult
living in the victim’s home) and whether there were other children in the home.
Discussion
These questions are to be asked of all child victims. Primary residence is the place where the
victim lived the majority of the time when the incident occurred (not at the time of death if
the residences were different). For example, if a child is injured in his or her own family
home and dies four months later in the hospital, answer questions regarding his or her own
family home.
“Victim’s family home” is defined as victim’s self-identified family where applicable; this
may be biologic parents, other relatives, adoptive or stepparents. “On own” indicates that the
decedent was living separately from his/her family (e.g., living with boyfriend or peers). If
the victim was known to be moving from place to place without a permanent residence (i.e.,
“on the run”), or if the victim was a newborn who was still in the hospital, code as “Not
applicable” and describe in the incident narrative.
For length of time in residence, code the approximate length of time that the victim had been
living at the residence indicated in KResType. All time frames listed are with respect to the
timing of the fatal incident. For example, if the victim was known to have come back to live
with family of origin after foster care stay and commits suicide within two weeks of
returning, code “Within the past month.”
KAdultUn and KKids apply to children who lived with their own family, on their own, or
with a foster family at the time of the fatal incident. An unrelated adult is defined as a person
18 years or older who was living in the household at the time of the incident, including
primary caregivers (e.g., mother’s boyfriend, stepmother, friend of family, tenant, nanny,
etc.).
 Adoptive parents should not be considered unrelated.
 If the victim lived in an institution (e.g., shelter, school, juvenile detention facility) at the
time of the fatal incident, mark “Not applicable.”
 If there were circumstances in the decedent’s household at the time of death that
contributed to the child’s death, explain that separately in the incident narrative.
 For example, if a child is in a vegetative state secondary to shaken baby syndrome and
dies of pneumonia three years later, answer KAdultUn and KKids regarding the
household at the time of the shaking.
 If something about the quality of the child’s foster care at the time of death was also
contributory to its death, note that in the incident narrative.

13-29

CFR

Analysis
Name

Label

KResType Type of residence where
victim lived
KResTime Length of time in
residence
KAdultUn Unrelated adult living in
victim’s household
KKids
Other children <18 yrs in
household
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPRESTYP
CPRESTIM
CPUNRLAD
CPKIDOTH

13-30

Primacy

Number

Priority
Field
Length
2
O

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Table

Type

Person

CFR

Person
Person
Person

CFR

Marital relationship of victim’s biological parents: KMarital
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KMarital

Definition
Marital relationship of victim’s biological parents at the time of incident

Response Options:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Married
Never married
Widowed
Divorced
Married, but separated
Single, not otherwise specified
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
Establish the marital relationship of victim’s biological parents to one another at the time of
the fatal incident.
Discussion
Code the response option that best fits the marital relationship of the victim’s biological
parents to one another at the time of the fatal incident.
Example
 If the victim’s biological mother and father were never married, but the biological father
was married to another woman at the time of the fatal incident, KMarital should be coded
as “Never married”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

KMarital

Marital relationship of
victim’s biological parents

Person

Number

Field
Priority
Length
1
O

Primacy
CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPARMAR

13-31

CFR

Intimate partner violence in victim‘s household: KDV
Intimate partner violence in victim‘s foster home: KDVFos
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KDV
KDVFos

Definition
Evidence of intimate partner violence in victim’s household
Evidence of intimate partner violence in victim’s foster family (if
applicable)

Response Options:
KDV
KDVFos
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
These variables elucidate the child’s exposure to violence and substance abuse (including
alcohol, prescription and recreational drugs) in the home.
Discussion
Domestic violence refers to intimate partner violence. KDV questions are to be asked about
all children regarding their household at the time of the fatal incident.
 For children who lived with their families or who were institutionalized (either
temporarily or permanently) answer the questions regarding the family of origin.
 For permanently institutionalized children with no family to return to, the answer will be
“Not applicable”.
 For children in foster care at the time of the fatal incident, answer the questions regarding
both the foster home and the family of origin.
 If there were circumstances in the decedent’s household at the time of death that
contributed to the child’s death, explain that separately in the incident narrative. For
example, if a child is in a vegetative state secondary to shaken baby syndrome and dies of
pneumonia three years later, answer the following household questions regarding the time
of the shaking.
 However, if something about the quality of the child’s foster care at the time of death was
also contributory to death, note that in the incident narrative.

13-32

CFR
Analysis
Primacy

Number

Priority
Field
Length
1
O

Number

1

CFR

Name

Label

Table

Type

KDV

Intimate partner violence in
victim‘s household
Intimate partner violence in
victim‘s foster home

Person
Person

KDVFos

O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPIPV
CPIPVFOS

13-33

CFR

Substance abuse in victim‘s household: KSubs
Substance abuse in victim‘s foster home: KSubsFos
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KSubs
KSubsFos

Definition
Evidence of substance abuse in victim’s household
Evidence of substance abuse in victim’s foster family (if applicable)

Response Options:
KSubs
KSubsFos
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
These variables elucidate the child’s exposure to violence and substance abuse (including
alcohol, prescription and recreational drugs) in the home.
Discussion
Substance abuse refers to all drugs (including alcohol) that are either non-prescription or
being used in a manner inconsistent with safe prescribing practices. Questions are to be asked
about all children regarding their household at the time of the fatal incident.
 For children who lived with their families or who were institutionalized (either
temporarily or permanently) answer the questions regarding the family of origin.
 For permanently institutionalized children with no family to return to, the answer will be
“Not applicable”.
 For children in foster care at the time of the fatal incident, answer the questions regarding
both the foster home and the family of origin.
 In any kind of household, if the victim was a substance abuser, but no one else in the
household was, code “No” to KSubs and/or KSubsFos.
 However, if anyone else in the household was abusing substances, including other
children <18, code “Yes” for KSubs and/or KSubsFos.
 If there were circumstances in the decedent’s household at the time of death that
contributed to the child’s death, explain that separately in the incident narrative. For
example, if a child is in a vegetative state secondary to shaken baby syndrome and dies of
pneumonia three years later, answer the following household questions regarding the time
of the shaking.
 However, if something about the quality of the child’s foster care at the time of death was
also contributory to death, note that in the incident narrative.

13-34

CFR
Analysis
Primacy

Number

Priority
Field
Length
1
O

Number

1

CFR

Name

Label

Table

Type

KSubs

Substance abuse in
victim‘s household
Substance abuse in
victim‘s foster home

Person
Person

KSubsFos

O

CFR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUBAB
CPSUBFOS

13-35

CFR

Perpetrator was supervisor: KSupPerp
Quality of supervision a factor: KSuperv
Supervisor’s relationship to victim: KSupRel
Supervisor’s age: KSupAge
Supervisor’s sex: KSupSex
No supervision: KSupNo
Surpervisor drug/alcohol impaired: KSupDrug
Supervisor distracted or asleep: KSupBusy
Other supervisory factor: KSupOther
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KSupPerp
KSuperv
KSupRel
KSupAge
KSupSex
KSupNo
KSupDrug
KSupBusy
KSupOther

Definition
Perpetrator responsible for supervision at time of incident?
Did the quality of supervision contribute to the death of the victim?
Relationship of supervisor to the victim
Age of supervisor
Sex of supervisor
No supervision of the victim
The supervisor was drug- or alcohol-impaired
The supervisor was distracted or asleep
Other supervisory factor contributed to victim’s death

Response Options:
KSupPerp
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KSuperv
0
No, supervision was appropriate
1
Yes, supervisor was not the perpetrator
2
Yes, supervisor was the perpetrator
3
Supervision not needed/expected
4
CFRT could not determine
7
No collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KSupRel
1
Primary caregiver
2
Other adult relative
3
Babysitter/child care provider
4
Primary caregiver’s boy/girlfriend
5
Sibling/step-sibling
13-36

CFR
6
Other, specify in incident narrative
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KSupAge
777 Not collected by local CFR team
888 Not applicable 999 Unknown
KSupSex
1
Male
2
Female
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KSupNo
KSupDrug
KSupBusy
KSupOther
0
1

No, Not collected by local CFR team, Unknown
Yes

Uses
Inadequate supervision can increase the likelihood of unintentional firearm injuries, suicide,
and homicide. This association is especially true for younger children. Information gathered
from this group of variables will help describe the inadequacy only when it played a role in
the victim’s violent injury, thereby informing prevention efforts.
Discussion
If the perpetrator/suspect was responsible for the victim’s direct supervision at the time of the
incident (i.e., in the case of a homicide), then code KSupPerp “Yes” and code the rest of the
supervision variables as “Not applicable”. Likewise, if the quality of the supervision did not
contribute to the child’s death (as determined by the CFRT) or it is unknown, code “No” or
“Unknown” and the remainder of the supervisor variables as “Not applicable”.
The supervisor is the person with the primary responsibility for the care and control of the
child at the time of the fatal injury. If there were two supervisors at the time of the fatal
incident, but one clearly had primary responsibility, code the person with the primary
responsibility. If the responsibility of supervision was equally divided between two people,
code the person whose supervision quality seemed most contributory to the child’s death.
Determining supervision adequacy is purposefully left to the Child Fatality Review Team
(CFRT) by this group of data elements. “Quality of supervision” refers specifically to the
quality of supervision at the time the fatal injury occurred, not to parenting style in general.
“No supervision present” should be indicated if no arrangements for supervision were
apparently made (e.g., leaving a 3 year old unattended for half an hour). If an inappropriately
young or old supervisor was appointed, specify the circumstances under “Other”. Any

13-37

CFR
additional exceptional circumstances may be coded by endorsing KSupOther and including a
description in the CFR incident narrative. All of the variables are based on the CFRT’s
findings, even though the information to support the CFRT’s findings may well originate
from multiple sources.
Analysis
Name

Label

KSupPerp

Perpetrator was
supervisor
KSuperv
Quality of supervision a
factor
KSupRel
Supervisor’s relationship
to victim
KSupAge
Supervisor’s age
KSupSex
Supervisor’s sex
KSupNo
No supervision
KSupDrug Supervisor drug/alcohol
impaired
KSupBusy Supervisor distracted or
asleep
KSupOther Other supervisory factor
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPSUPCON
CPSUPCON
CPSUPREL
CPSUPAGE
CPSUPSEX
CPSUPNO
CPSUPDRU
CPSUPBUS
CPSUPOTH

13-38

Primacy

Number

Priority
Field
Length
1
O

Person

Number

1

O

CFR

Person

Number

1

O

CFR

Person
Person
Person
Person

Number
Number
Checkbox
Checkbox

3
1
1
1

O
O
O
O

CFR
CFR
CFR
CFR

Person

Checkbox 1

O

CFR

Person

Checkbox 1

O

CFR

Table

Type

Person

CFR

CFR

Primary caregiver is a victim or suspect in the incident: GPerson1/GPerson2
If yes, caregiver‘s ID in the incident: GPersID1/GPersID2
Relationship to victim: GRel1/GRel2
Person lived with victim: GCohabit1/GCohabit2
Primary Caregivers Age at time of incident: GAge1/GAge2
Primary Caregivers Sex: GSex1/GSex2
Had legal custody of victim at time of death: GCustody1/GCustody2
Had documented history of maltreating: GCAN1/GCAN2
Had a previous child die in his/her care: GDeath1/GDeath2
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
GPerson1/GPerson2
GPersID1/GPersID2
GRel1/GRel2
GCohabit1/GCohabit2
GAge1/GAge2
GSex1/GSex2
GCustody1/GCustody2
GCAN1/GCAN2
GDeath1/GDeath2

Definition
Is the victim’s primary caregiver a victim or suspect in the incident?
Caregiver’s Person ID in the incident
Caregiver’s relationship to the victim
Caregiver lived with victim at the time of the incident?
Age of Caregiver at the time of the incident
Sex of Caregiver
Had legal custody of victim at time of death?
Caregiver had documented history of maltreating a child?
Caregiver had a previous child die in his/her care?

Response Options:
GPerson1 and GPerson2
GCohabit1 and GCohabit2
GCustody1 and GCustody2
GCAN1 and GCAN2
GDeath1 and GDeath2
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected by local CFR team
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
GPersID1 and GPersID2
Number of the Person in the incident
GAge1 and GAge2
Age of caregiver in years
GRel1 and GRel2
1
Biologic parent
2
Stepparent
3
Adoptive parent
4
Other relative

13-39

CFR
5
6
7
8
9

Parent’s intimate partner
Other non-relative
Not collected by local CFR team
Not applicable
Unknown

GSex1 and GSex2
1
Male
2
Female
9
Unknown
Uses
Information (including relationship, age, gender, and legal custody status) regarding the
victim’s parents or other primary caregiver(s) may provide insight into potential risk factors
for violent death among children.
Discussion
The victim’s primary caregiver is defined as the person or persons (up to two) who had
responsibility for the care, custody, and control of the child the majority of the time.
 The primary caregiver(s) may be the child’s parent or parents (biological, step, adoptive
parents) or another relative.
 If the child was living with his/her biological or adoptive parents, assume that they were
the primary caregivers and had legal custody of the decedent unless otherwise specified
in the records.
 The primary caregiver(s) may also be the state child protective services agency/foster
parent(s) or another institution in some cases.
 In the instances when the child is residing in foster care or an institution, complete this
information for the primary caregiver(s) in the family of origin if known (not for the
foster family or institutional caregivers).
 In the case of neonaticide, assume that the biological mother was the primary caregiver
unless there is evidence that another person (e.g., father, grandmother) had assumed
control of the child as a caregiver at the time of the incident.
 If the primary caregiver(s) at the time of death was different from the primary
caregiver(s) at the time of the incident, answer regarding the primary caregiver(s) at the
time of the incident.
 For example, if a baby is shaken by its biological mother as an infant and survives in a
vegetative state in foster care until three years of age, code the biological mother.
 “Documented history of child maltreatment” indicates a substantiated CPS report/referral
or rights termination.

13-40

CFR
Analysis
Name

Label

GPerson1
GPerson2

Primary caregiver is a
victim or suspect in the
incident
If yes, caregiver‘s ID in the
incident
Relationship to victim

GPersID1
GPersID2
GRel1
GRel2
GCohabit1
GCohabit2
GAge1
GAge2
GSex1
GSex2
GCustody1
GCustody2
GCAN1
GCAN2
GDeath1
GDeath2

Table

Number

Priority Primacy
Field
Length
1
O
CFR

Number

5

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

3

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Type

Person
Person
Person

Person lived with victim
Person
Age at time of incident
Person
Sex
Had legal custody of victim
at time of death
Had documented history of
maltreating
Had a previous child die in
his/her care

Person
Person
Person
Person

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPC1VISU
CPC2VISU
CPC1ID
CPC2ID
CPC1REL
CPC2REL
CPC1LIVE
CPC2LIVE
CPC1AGE
CPC2AGE
CPC1SEX
CPC2SEX
CPC1CUST
CPC2CUST
CPC1MAL
CPC2MAL
CPC1CDIE
CPC2CDIE

13-41

CFR

CME records: KRecME
SS/CPS records: KRecCPS
Police/Law Enforcement records: KRecLaw
School records: KRecEdu
EMS records: KRecEMS
Health Provider/Hospital records: KRecMD
Public Health Department records: KRecDOH
Mental Health Records: KRecPsy
Juvenile Justice records: KRecJuv
Death Certificate: KRecDC
Other records: KRecOth
Specify (what other records): KRecTxt
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KRecME
KRecCPS
KRecLaw
KRecEdu
KRecEMS
KRecMD
KRecDOH
KRecPsy
KRecJuv
KRecDC
KRecOth
KRecTxt

Definition
Coroner/Medical Examiner records were consulted in the CFRT review of
victim’s death
Social service/CPS records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s
death
Police records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
School records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
EMS records: were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
Health records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
Public health department records were consulted in the CFRT review of
victim’s death
Mental health records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
Juvenile justice records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
Death certificate records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
Other records were consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s death
Free text field to note other records consulted in the CFRT review of victim’s
death

Response Options:
KRecME thru KRecOth
0
No, Not collected by local CFR team, Unknown
1
Yes
KRecTxt
Free text
Uses
Information about the primary data sources consulted during the review of the victim’s death
indicates its comprehensiveness. It will also verify the primary data sources consulted to
arrive at decisions regarding adequacy of supervision and preventability.
13-42

CFR

Discussion
The primary data sources used to review a child death vary from CFR program to program
and often from death to death. Code the data source as “Yes” if the records were consulted
about the death, even if the given agency ended up having no information about the victim.
Do not code a source as “Yes” if the only information gathered was secondary (e.g., the DSS
records indicate that law enforcement performed an investigation, but the actual law
enforcement records were not consulted).
Analysis
Name

Label

KRecME
KRecCPS
KRecLaw

CME records
SS/CPS records
Police/Law
Enforcement records
KRecEdu School records
KRecEMS EMS records
KRecMD Health Provider/
Hospital records
KRecDOH Public Health
Department records
KRecPsy
Mental Health records
KRecJuv
Juvenile Justice records
KRecDC
Death Certificate
KRecOth
Other records
Specify (what other
KRecTxt
records)

Priority

Primacy

Person
Person
Person

Field
Length
Checkbox 1
Checkbox 1
Checkbox 1

O
O
O

CFR
CFR
CFR

Person
Person
Person

Checkbox 1
Checkbox 1
Checkbox 1

O
O
O

CFR
CFR
CFR

Person

Checkbox 1

O

CFR

Person
Person
Person
Person

Checkbox
Checkbox
Checkbox
Checkbox

1
1
1
1

O
O
O
O

CFR
CFR
CFR
CFR

Person

Text

50

O

CFR

Table

Type

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPRECCME
CPRECCPS
CPRECPOL
CPRECSCH
CPRECEMS
CPRECHP
CPRECPHD
CPRECMH
CPRECJJ
CPRECDC
CPRECOTH
CPRECOTT

13-43

CFR

CFR conclusion matches Death Certificate: KConclud
If no, manner the CFR designated: KManner
Text to specify other manner: KMannTxt
Action taken to change the official manner: KAction
Result of action: KResult
CFR determination of preventability: KPrevent
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
KConclud
KManner
KMannTxt
KAction
KResult
KPrevent

Definition
Did the CFR designation of the child’s manner of death match the
death certificate manner?
Manner of death designated by the CFR
Text field for CFR manner of death if “other”
If not, was action taken by the CFR to change the manner of death?
Result of action taken by the CFR to change the manner of death
CFR conclusions regarding the preventability of the death

Response Options:
KConclud
KAction
0
No
1
Yes
7
Not collected/CFR team does not make this comparison
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
KManner
1
Natural
2
Accident
3
Suicide
4
Homicide
5
Pending investigation
6
Could not be determined
66
Other
77
Not collected/CFR team does not designate manner
88
Not applicable
99
Unknown
KMannTxt
None
KResult
0 No change
1 Manner changed to agree with CFRT
3 Pending
6 Other
7 Not collected by local CFR team

13-44

CFR
8 Not applicable
9 Unknown
KPrevent
0
1
2
7
8
9

Probably not preventable
Possibly preventable
Unable to determine preventability
Not collected/CFR team does not determine preventability
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
CFRT review results can be inconsistent with the death certificate. The information gathered
from these variables will help estimate the frequency and nature of, and response to such
inconsistency. Many CFRTs assess the preventability of a given child death as a way of
conceptualizing interventions that are likely to prevent a similar death in the future. While
CFRTs may use differing definitions of preventability, it will be helpful to get a thumbnail
sketch of the relative frequency of potentially preventable child violent deaths.
Discussion
The CFRT’s conclusions are being compared with the officially-designated manner of death
as originally specified on the death certificate (or, if the death certificate was unavailable to
the committee at the time of their review, the coroner/medical examiner report).
 Code KConclud as “Yes” if the CFRT’s manner of death matched the manner of death
originally designated on the death certificate.
 Code KConclud as “No” if the CFRT determined that the manner of death was something
other than that assigned in the death certificate data.
 Supply the manner chosen by the CFRT in KManner. “Could not be determined” under
KManner refers to the affirmative designation of undetermined as the CFRT’s manner of
death.
 “Unknown” is to be used if the information is not available at the time of data entry.
 Please use the text box to explain coding “Other” for KManner.
 KAction and KResult will be enabled only if KConclud is coded as “No”.
 Some CFRTs designate the degree to which a child’s death was preventable (e.g.,
“definitely preventable”, “probably preventable”, “probably not preventable”, etc.).
Respondents should collapse the levels they use to answer the question as “Probably not
preventable,” “Possibly preventable” or “Unable to determine”. If the teams indicate any
possibility of prevention then code “Possibly preventable.” “Unable to determine
preventability” is an affirmative designation (i.e. it is specifically noted on the CFRT
form) otherwise, code “Unknown”.

13-45

CFR
Analysis
Name

Label

KConclud

CFR conclusion matches
Death Certificate
KManner
If no, manner the CFR
designated
KMannTxt Text to specify other
manner
KAction
Action taken to change the
official manner
KResult
Result of action
KPrevent
CFR determination of
preventability
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPMANMAT
CPMANOTH
CPMANOTT
CPMANAC
CPMANACR
CPPREVEN

13-46

Primacy

Number

Priority
Field
Length
1
O

Number

2

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number

1

O

CFR

Number
Number

1
1

O
O

CFR
CFR

Table

Type

Person

CFR

Person
Person
Person
Person
Person

CFR

History of inpatient psychiatric treatment: HstPsyTr
Taking psychiatric medication at time of death: PsyMed
Barriers to accessing mental health care: BarAcsTr
Data Sources: CFR
NVDRS Name
HstPsyTr
PsyMed
BarAcsTr

Definition
Victim has ever been treated as an inpatient for psychiatric problems
Victim had a current prescription for a psychiatric medication at the
time of the incident
Victim experienced barriers to accessing mental health care (applicable
only to victims coded as having a mental health problem and not being
in treatment)

Response Options:
HstPsyTr
PsyMed
BarAcsTr
0
1

No
Yes

Uses
These variables will provide more in depth information about mental health treatment for
children who commit suicide than is currently collected by the main reporting system for
adult victims. HstPsyTr can be used as an indicator of the severity of the mental health
disorder, and PsyMed, when used in conjunction with toxicology results, may be useful for
identifying patients in current treatment who were not in compliance. BarAcsTr will be
helpful for identifying potential problems in accessing mental health care.
Discussion
 These variables supplement the basic Suicide Circumstances related to mental health.
Indicate that the child received inpatient psychiatric care if there is a documented history
of inpatient psychiatric treatment ever, not just at the time of death. This includes an
overnight or longer stay at a psychiatric hospital or institution, psychiatric halfway house,
or psych unit within an acute care hospital.
 PsyMed refers to whether the patient had an active prescription for psychiatric
medication at the time of death. They need not have actually been taking the medication.
When available, toxicology results will help assess whether the decedent was taking the
medication prescribed
 If a child victim was noted as having a mental health problem and as not being in mental
health treatment, the BarPsyTr variable will document whether any evidence in the
record indicates that the victim encountered barriers in accessing mental health treatment.
 Code “Yes” if there were specific obstacles or if it was known that treatment was
either recommended by a health professional and/or identified by the family yet
care was not received. Examples of specific obstacles include lack of insurance
13-47

CFR



coverage, transportation problems, or long waiting lists. Another example would
be parental awareness of their child’s suicidal ideation, but inability to establish
care because of immigration status.
Please describe the nature of the barrier in the Incident Narrative.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

HstPsyTr

History of inpatient
psychiatric treatment
Taking psychiatric
medication at time of
death
Barriers to accessing
mental health care

Person

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Checkbox 1
O
CFR

Person

Checkbox 1

O

CFR

Person

Checkbox 1

O

CFR

PsyMed
BarAcsTr

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CFR
CPPSYTX2
CPPSYME2
CPBARMH

13-48

Type

Section 14
Victim-Suspect Relationship
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Victim to suspect relationship 1

Rela1

14-3

Victim to suspect relationship 2

Rela2

14-3

Caretaker of victim

CareTk

14-6

History of abuse

Abuse

14-7

SRelat

14-8

Coroner/Medical Examiner and Police Report:

Supplementary Homicide Report:
Victim to suspect relationship

V-S Relationship

Victim to Suspect relation 1: Rela1
Victim to Suspect relation 2: Rela2
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Rela1
Rela2

Definition
Description of relationship of the victim to the suspect
Description of second relationship of the victim to the suspect

Response Options:
1
Spouse
2
Ex-spouse
3
Girlfriend or boyfriend
7
Ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend
8
Girlfriend or boyfriend, unspecified whether current or ex
10 Parent
11 Child
12 Sibling
13 Grandchild
14 Grandparent
15 In-law
16 Stepparent
17 Stepchild
18 Child of suspect’s boyfriend/girlfriend (e.g., child killed by mom’s boyfriend)
19 Intimate partner of suspect’s parent (e.g., teenager kills his mother’s boyfriend)
20 Foster child
21 Foster parent
29 Other family member (e.g., cousin, uncle, etc.)
30 Babysitter (e.g., child killed by babysitter)
31 Acquaintance
32 Friend
33 Roommate (not intimate partner)
34 Schoolmate
35 Current/former work relationship (e.g., co-worker, employee, employer)
36 Rival gang member
44 Other person, known to victim
45 Stranger
50 Victim was injured by law enforcement officer
51 Victim was law enforcement officer injured in the line of duty
88 Suspect is not a suspect for this victim (if entered in the Rela1 field)
88 All relevant information about relationship is already provided in Relation 1 (if
entered in the Rela 2 field)
99 Relationship unknown

14-3

V-S Relationship
Uses
Data describing the relationship between the victim and the suspect are useful for developing
and evaluating prevention programs and for characterizing various forms of family and
intimate violence.
Discussion
This variable will be assigned by the abstractor for each victim-suspect (V-S) pair in an
incident based on review of the CME report. The NVDRS software automatically
“populates” the V-S Relation Table with victim-suspect pairs. Each person with a PType of 1
or 3 (“Victim” or “both”) is paired with each person with a PType of 2 or 3 (“Suspect” or
“both”). Up to two codes can be selected for each victim-suspect pair. Use the second
variable for cases in which more than one relationship is true (e.g., a victim is both a
schoolmate and a rival gang member).
 Use the following sentence as a guide for selecting the appropriate description of the
relationship: the victim is the ____________ of the suspect. For example, when a parent
kills a child, the relationship is “Child” not “Parent.” (“The victim is the child of the
suspect.”)
 In complex incidents (which will be relatively rare), there will be times when a suspect in
an incident is not a suspect for a particular victim (see example below).
 Homosexual relationships should be coded in the same way as heterosexual relationships
(e.g., “Girlfriend” or “Boyfriend”). The homosexual or heterosexual nature of the
relationship will be inferred by the sex of the victim and suspect.
 The classification “babysitter” includes child care providers such as nannies or relatives
of a child other than a parent or guardian.
 For this data element, an acquaintance is someone with or about whom the victim has had
some prior interaction or knowledge. A stranger is someone with whom the victim has
had no prior interaction before the event that culminated in the violent injury.
 Where more than one offender is working in concert in an incident (as in a drive-by
shooter and his or her driver), code the victim’s relationship to each offender. Do not use
88s in the Relationship 1 field in this situation to identify the offender who did not
actually fire the weapon because all offenders working in concert are considered
offenders on the Supplementary Homicide Report and in police reports.
 If the nature of the relationship is unknown, code “Rela1” as “99”. If all relevant
information regarding the relationship is captured in “Rela1”, then code “Rela2” as 88
for: “All relevant information about relationship is already provided in Relation 1 “Not
applicable.” (88 is not a suspect for this vic)??
Examples
 If a young man stabs a bartender and is then shot by a police officer, there are two
victims in the incident (the bartender and the young man) and two suspects (the young
man and the police officer). Code the relationship between the bartender and the police
officer as 88 (not a suspect for this victim) since the police officer wasn’t a suspect in the
first killing.
 Code the following scenario as “Stranger”: two individuals who do not know each other
play pool together, argue, then one stabs the other.

14-4

V-S Relationship


Two strangers shoot a victim and three other persons help cover-up the crime by creating
an alibi for the suspects. The three persons who only helped to cover up the crime should
not be loaded in NVDRS. The other two suspects should be loaded as “stranger”.

Analysis
Name

Label

Rela1

Victim to Suspect
Relation 1
Victim to Suspect
Relation 2

Rela2

Table

Type

Field
Length
SV_Relation Number 2

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

PR/CME

SV_Relation Number 2

LR/LR

PR/CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MSVRELS1
MSVRELS2

PR
PSVRELS1
PSVRELS2

14-5

V-S Relationship

Caretaker of victim: CareTk
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
CareTk

Definition
Was this suspect a caretaker of this victim

Response Options:
0
No, Not Collected, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable will help identify deaths resulting from intimate partner abuse, child abuse,
elder abuse, and other forms of caretaker violence.
Discussion
After indicating the relationship for each victim-suspect pair (Rela1 from previous page),
determine whether the offender was a caretaker for the victim. This variable is included
because some definitions of child abuse and elder abuse are based solely on whether the
offender was the victim’s caretaker.
Examples
 a parent who kills his or her child.
 a babysitter who kills his or her charge.
 a nursing home attendant who kills a patient.
 an adult who kills a dependent elderly parent.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

CareTk

Caretaker
of victim

SV_Relation Checkbox

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MSVCARET

14-6

PR
PSVCARET

Type

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

V-S Relationship

History of abuse: Abuse
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Abuse

Definition
History of abuse

Response Options:
0
No, Not Collected, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
These variables will help identify deaths resulting from intimate partner abuse, child abuse,
elder abuse, and other forms of caretaker violence.
Discussion
For each victim-suspect pair in which (1) the offender was a caretaker of the victim or (2) the
offender was a current or ex-intimate partner, indicate whether the data sources document a
history (or suspected history) of abuse of this victim by the suspect.
 The evidence of ongoing abuse may be suspected but not confirmed.
 Abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual or others as long as the source document
refers to ‘abuse’.
Examples
Yes
 Stepparent killed child during an altercation. Family investigated by Child Protective
Services last year.
 Autopsy evidence reported as an indication of previous abuse is enough to endorse the
“Abuse” variable.
No
 Husband shot wife after learning that she was having an affair. No history of previous
police visits to the residence or restraining orders; neighbors indicate no previous
problems.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Abuse

History of
abuse

SV_Relation Checkbox

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR

CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MSVABUSE

PR
PSVABUSE
14-7

V-S Relationship

Victim to suspect relationship: SRelat
Data Sources: SHR
NVDRS Name
SRelat

Definition
Social relationship of victim to suspect reported in SHR

Response Options:
1
Husband
2
Wife
3
Common-law husband
4
Common-law wife
5
Mother
6
Father
7
Son
8
Daughter
9
Brother
10 Sister
11 In-law
12 Stepfather
13 Stepmother
14 Stepson
15 Stepdaughter

16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
88
99

Other Family
Neighbor
Acquaintance
Boyfriend
Girlfriend
Ex-husband
Ex-wife
Employee
Employer
Friend
Homosexual Relationship
Other – Known to Victim
Stranger
Not applicable
Relationship Unknown

Uses
Data describing the relationship between the victim and the person who caused the injury are
useful for developing and evaluating prevention programs and for characterizing various
forms of family and intimate partner violence.
Discussion
“SRelat” should capture the victim-suspect relationship exactly as it appears in the
Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR). Codes should be entered exactly as they appear in
the source documents, even if the abstractor believes an individual code was chosen in error.
Note that the SHR captures relationships differently than the CME and PR variables.
 If your state uses any codes for relationship that do not appear in the standard
FBI code list below, find out from your state UCR office how it will be
mapped to the standard national codes, and enter that code.
 If the SHR is not available, code the case as 88 (Not applicable).
 The SHR also captures the link between each victim and suspect in an
incident. That information can be recorded here.
 It may be useful if the SHR is the only source of such information for an
incident.
 For homicides with more than one victim or suspect recorded on the SHR, the
victim-suspect relationship is frequently inaccurate and may differ from other
data sources.

14-8

V-S Relationship



Law enforcement may list the relationship between the first victim and the
first suspect as the relationship with all subsequent victims or suspects.
States should check to see whether each relationship is accurately coded in
their state. They may prefer to use this information when there is only one
victim and one suspect.

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

SRelat

Victim to suspect
SRelat relationship

SV_Relation

Number

Field
Length
2

Priority

Primacy

LR

SHR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
SHR
SSVRELSV

14-9

Section 15
Abstractor-Assigned Weapon Type
Variable Label
Weapon type
Other weapon information

Variable Name

Page

Wtype

15-3

OthWeap

15-5

Weapon Type

Weapon type: WType
Data Sources: Abstractor assigned
NVDRS Name
WType

Definition
Type of weapon or means used to inflict the injury

Response Options:
1
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
66
99

Firearm
Non-powder gun
Sharp instrument
Blunt instrument
Poisoning
Hanging, strangulation, suffocation
Personal weapons
Fall
Explosive
Drowning
Fire or burns
Shaking, (e.g., shaken baby syndrome)
Motor Vehicle, including buses, motorcycles
Other transport vehicle, (e.g., trains, planes, boats)
Intentional neglect, (e.g., starving a baby or oneself)
Biological weapons
Other (e.g., taser, electrocution, nail gun)
Unknown

Uses
Abstractors should use this field to decide the appropriate weapon type. The field exists
because records about the incident may not agree about the weapon type used yet a weapon
type must be selected to activate the appropriate weapon fields in the application.
Discussion
Weapon type reports the broad category of weapon(s) used to inflict the fatal injury.
 “Sharp instrument” refers not only to knives, but also to razors, machetes, or pointed
instruments (e.g., chisel, broken glass, bow and arrow).
 “Blunt instrument” refers to clubs, bats, rocks, etc. or a general statement of “blunt force
trauma”.
 “Personal weapons” include fists, feet, hands in actions such as punching, kicking or
hitting.
 “Hanging, strangulation, suffocation” should be coded for victims who are manually
strangled rather then “personal weapons”
 “Fall” covers both being pushed (as in a homicide) or jumping (as in a suicide).
Generally, if a person is at standing height, is pushed by another, and falls backward
hitting his head, code weapon as “personal weapons” due to the push. If a person is
higher than standing height, as in a two-story balcony or on a roof, code weapon as “fall”.
15-3

Weapon Type





Only code more than one weapon when multiple weapons were known to have inflicted
fatal injuries. Otherwise, if it is possible to determine, code only the primary weapon that
resulted in death.
When faced with choosing multiple possible weapon types, pick the weapon that exerted
the most force to the body or deprived it of essentials such as oxygen.
For fires resulting death due to burns or carbon monoxide poisoning, code a primary
weapon of “Fire or burns”. For deaths where carbon monoxide due to the fire was also
contributory, code “Carbon monoxide poisoning” as a secondary weapon.
If a victim is noted to have died by an external force (e.g., hanging, gunshot wound, stab
wound, etc) but also was noted to have a lethal level of alcohol or drugs in his or her
system, code the weapon of external force and not the poisoning.

Examples
 A man drives his car off a bridge, falls to the river below, and dies by drowning. Code
weapon as drowning because the motor vehicle and the fall did not exert the most force to
the body.
 A woman deliberately drives her car into an abutment. Code weapon as motor vehicle.
 A victim shoots himself in the head and toxicology shows a lethal level of hydrocodone
in his blood stream. Code weapon as firearm.
 A live baby is placed inside a plastic bag that is sealed and placed outside in the winter.
Code weapon as “hanging, strangulation, suffocation” rather than neglect or exposure as
the baby would not have survived long enough in the plastic bag to freeze to death.
 A victim commits suicide by placing a plastic bag over his head and running a hose into
the bag filling it with helium gas. Code weapon as “hanging, strangulation, suffocation”
rather than “poisoning”.
 A victim dies from an overdose of prescription sleep medication. She has non-lethal
‘hesitation’ cutting marks on her wrists and the knife is by her side. Code weapon as
poisoning. Do not include sharp instrument as the cuts were superficial.
Analysis
Name

Label

WType

Weapon type

Table
Weapon

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YWTYPE

15-4

Type
Number

Field
Length
2

Priority
ER

Primacy
SYS

Weapon Type

Other weapon information: OthWeap
Data Sources: Abstractor assigned
NVDRS Name

Definition

OthWeap

Text field to indicate the weapon type if WType is coded as “Other”

Response Options:
Text describing the weapon
Uses
Abstractors should use this field to document the weapon type when “Other” is selected from
among the weapon options. Populate this text field with the specific type of weapon used.
Discussion
“Other” should be used only after it has been determined that the weapon type does not
match any of the standard categories. If a primary weapon has been coded, do not load a
second weapon of “Other”.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

OthWeap

Other weapon
information

Weapon

Type
Text

Field
Length
100

Priority
LR

Primacy
SYS

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
Abstractor
YWINFO

15-5

Section 16
Weapon Detail
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Firearm information known

FKnown

16-3

Gun recovered

GunRec

16-4

Bullet recovered

Bullet

16-4

Casing recovered

CaseRem

16-4

Firearm type

FType

16-6

Other firearm type text

TyTxt

16-6

Make or NCIC code

Make

16-8

Other firearm make text

MkTxt

16-8

Firearm model

Model

16-9

Firearm model text

MoTxt

16-9

Cartridge specification

Cartr

16-11

Firearm caliber

Calib

16-13

Firearm gauge

Gauge

16-13

Firearm serial number

Serial

16-16

Firearm stolen

Stoln

16-17

Firearm trace attempted

Trace

16-18

Gun Owner

Owner

16-19

Gun stored loaded

Loaded

16-20

Gun stored locked

Locked

16-20

Youth gun access narrative

YthNarr

16-21

Type of poison

Poison

16-22

Code for poison

PCode

16-23

Name of poison

PoisonTxt

16-23

Firearms:

Poisons:

Patient drug obtained for
Carbon monoxide source, if CO

Patnt

16-35

COSrc

16-37

Weapon

Firearm information known: FKnown
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
FKnown

Definition
Indicates available information about the physical characteristics
of the gun

Response Options:
0
No, Not Collected, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
This variable is used as a stem question to flag incidents in which no gun information is
available. If no information is available, the remaining firearm variables will be “Unknown”
or “Not applicable” as appropriate.
Discussion
If a death investigator within the agency has viewed or examined the gun itself or a bullet, or
spent casing from the gun and has additional information about the weapon, answer “Yes”. If
the only additional information available about the gun is based on a statement from a
witness (e.g., a bystander who witnessed a homicide told police she thought the gun looked
like a revolver), do not answer “Yes”. The additional information must be based on a death
investigator viewing physical evidence.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

FKnown

Firearm
information
known

Weapon

Type

Field
Priority
Primacy
Length
Checkbox 1
LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWFAINFO

CME
MWFAINFO

PR
PWFAINFO

16-3

Weapon

Gun recovered: GunRec
Bullet recovered: Bullet
Casing recovered: CaseRem
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name

Definition

GunRec

Firearm has been viewed, examined, or logged into evidence by
investigator
Bullet has been viewed, examined, or logged into evidence by
investigator
Cartridge has been viewed, examined, or logged into evidence by
investigator

Bullet
CaseRem

Response Options:
0
No, Not Collected, Not Available, Unknown
1
Yes
Uses
Data on the type of firearm physical evidence (bullets vs. cartridges) can be useful in
assessing the degree of confidence one can put in the information gathered about firearm
characteristics.
Discussion
“Recovered” evidence is that which an investigator within the agency has either viewed,
examined, or logged as evidence. The examiner need not have physical custody of the
evidence (e.g., code “GunRec” as “Yes” if, for example, a coroner’s deputy viewed a suicide
gun at the death scene but left the gun with the family).
Bullets count as evidence if they were retrieved from the victim or the crime scene and were
clearly used during the incident (e.g., a bullet lodged in the wall behind a victim with a
through-and-through wound).
 Pellets retrieved from a shotgun wound count as a recovered bullet.
 Consider only spent casings that are believed to be from the injury gun as
recovered casings.
A bullet recovered from a body upon autopsy and described as an “artifact” bullet is one that
was retained in the body from a previous shooting. If this is the only bullet recovered, this
variable should be coded “No”.

16-4

Weapon

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

GunRec

Gun recovered
Bullet
recovered
Casing
recovered

Weapon

Checkbox

Field
Lengt
h
1

Weapon

Checkbox

Weapon

Checkbox

Bullet
CaseRem

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

1

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

1

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWFAREC
LWBULLET
LWBULLER

CME
MWFAREC
MWBULLET
MWBULLER

PR
PWFAREC
PWBULLET
PWBULLER

16-5

Weapon

Firearm type: FType
Other firearm type text: TyTxt
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
FType
TyTxt

Definition
Specific type of firearm used to inflict injury
Free text field to indicate type of firearm if FType is coded as
“Other”

Response Options:
FType
1
Submachine Gun
2
Handgun, Unknown Type
3
Handgun, Pistol- Bolt Action
4
Handgun, Pistol- Derringer
5
Handgun, Pistol- Single Shot
6
Handgun, Pistol- Semi-automatic
7
Handgun, Revolver
8
Rifle, Unknown Type
9
Rifle, Automatic
10
Rifle, Bolt Action
11
Rifle, Lever Action
12
Rifle, Pump Action
13
Rifle, Semi-automatic
14
Rifle, Single Shot
15
Rifle-Shotgun Combination
16
Shotgun, Unknown Type
17
Shotgun, Automatic
18
Shotgun, Bolt Action
19
Shotgun, Double Barrel (Over/Under, Side by Side)
20
Shotgun, Pump Action
21
Shotgun, Semi-automatic
22
Shotgun, Single Shot
23
Long gun, Unknown type
66
Other (e.g., handmade gun)
99
Unknown
TyTxt
Description of firearm type
Uses
Data on firearm type are used to describe the injury-producing event and to document the
extent to which handguns, long guns, and automatic weapons are involved in gun deaths.
Discussion
16-6

Weapon
The Firearm Type code list is the standard used by the National Crime Information Center. It
is very detailed, and many abstractors may not have the technical expertise to know, for
example, whether a shotgun is a pump action or bolt action based on reading the gun’s make
and model. In such cases, use the appropriate “unknown type” option.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

FType

Firearm type
Other firearm
type text

Weapon
Weapon

TyTxt

Priority

Number

Field
Length
2

Primacy

Text

30

LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR

LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWFATYPE
LWFATYPT

CME
MWFATYPE
MWFATYPT

PR
PWFATYPE
PWFATYPT

16-7

Weapon

Make or NCIC code: Make
Other firearm make text: MkTxt
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Make
MkTxt

Definition
Manufacturer of the firearm used to inflict the injury
Text field to indicate manufacturer of the firearm if “Make”is coded
as “Other”

Response Options:
Make

Make from system
666
Other make of firearm
888
Not applicable
999
Unknown
MkTxt

Description of firearm make
Uses
Data on the make of the firearm are used to identify the manufacturers of firearms used in
fatalities.
Discussion
These data elements use 3-character manufacturer codes developed by the National Crime
Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A code list covering make
and model is supplied in a separate document in the software’s Help utility, and is also
available at www.vendata.com. The NVDRS software includes a list for the NCIC make
codes. If a manufacturer does not appear in the code list, enter the manufacturer in “MkTxt”.
Use “Unknown” when make is unknown.
Analysis
Name

Label

Make

Table

Make or NCIC code
Other firearm make
MkTxt
text

Type Field
Priority
Primacy
Length
Weapon Text
3
LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR
Weapon

Text

40

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWFAMAKE
LWFAMAKT

16-8

CME
MWFAMAKE
MWFAMAKT

PR
PWFAMAKE
PWFAMAKT

LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR

Weapon

Firearm model: Model
Firearm model text: MoTxt
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Model
MoTxt

Definition
Model of the firearm that was used to inflict the injury
Free text field to indicate model of the firearm if Model was coded as
“Other”

Response Options:
Model
Model from system
66666
Other model of firearm
88888
Not applicable
99999
Unknown
MoTxt
Description of firearm model
Uses
Data on the model of the firearm are used to identify the models used in gun deaths. Because
pieces of legislation in various jurisdictions have outlawed the production, sale, and
importation of particular classes of guns (e.g., so-called “assault” weapons or “junk guns”)
by features of the gun or by listing particular models, this variable can help to identify
models affected by legislation.
Discussion
These data elements are coded using a list of models (sorted by manufacturer) included in the
software’s Help utility. A combination of make and model must be used to uniquely identify
the firearm type, as some models are made by more than one manufacturer.
 If a specific model is not known, choose “Unknown”.
 Capitalize all text, avoid using dashes and decimals, and omit spaces.
 Completely spell out the models name; do not use abbreviations.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Model
MoTxt

Firearm model
Firearm model
text

Weapon

Text

Field
Length
40

Weapon

Text

40

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

16-9

Weapon

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWFAMODE
LWFAMODT

16-10

CME
MWFAMODE
MWFAMODT

PR
PWFAMODE
PWFAMODT

Weapon

Cartridge specification: Cartr
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Cartr

Definition
Type of recovered cartridge

Response Options:
Description of cartridge type
Uses
These data can be used to identify trends in smaller- and larger-caliber weapons use. They
may be useful (when coupled with data on nonfatal injuries) for assessing case fatality rates
by certain weapon and ammunition classes.
Discussion
This variable is designed to capture the caliber or estimated caliber of the firearm used in the
fatal event, based on recovered cartridge(s).
 The codes correspond to calibers, measured in fractions of an inch or in
millimeters, or gauges in the case of shotguns. In addition, a free text field
captures the cartridge specification (when available).
 Recovered cartridge casings, the firearm itself, and the bullet are sources for
indicating or estimating the firearm caliber.
 Some firearms will fire more than one type of cartridge. For example, firearms
designed to fire the .357 Magnum will also fire .38 (Smith & Wesson) Special
cartridges.
 Unless a cartridge casing is recovered, it may be impossible to tell which
cartridge type was involved in the incident. Consequently, this field should be
coded from cartridge casings when they are available, from the markings
stamped onto the firearm when cartridge casings are not recovered, and from
recovered bullets when neither a casing nor a firearm is recovered.
 A special code (38357) has been created for cases when a bullet has been
recovered and the absence of a cartridge or firearm makes it impossible to
determine the difference between a .38 or a .357.
Cartridge types are commonly expressed in calibers (fractions of an inch), or in millimeters.
In some cases, the same cartridge has both an English and Metric type designation. For
example, the .308 Winchester is also known as the 7.62 X 51mm NATO (Vendata 1999).
The former designation is typically stamped onto weapons originally designed for civilian
use, whereas the latter designation is common on weapons designed for military use.
 Record whichever caliber is stamped on the firearm or the base of the
cartridge casing.
 Weapon manufacturers name cartridge types they develop after the company.
Care should be taken not to confuse the manufacturer associated with a
cartridge type with the make of the firearm. For example, the .38 Smith &
Wesson (S&W) special cartridge was developed by Smith & Wesson, but
16-11

Weapon
many companies manufacture weapons chambered for this cartridge type
(Vendata 1999).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Cartr

Cartridge
specification

Weapon

Text

Field
Length
40

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWBULLEC

16-12

CME
MWBULLEC

PR
PWBULLEC

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

Weapon

Firearm caliber: Calib
Firearm gauge: Gauge
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Calib
Gauge

Definition
Caliber of the firearm used to inflict the injury
Gauge of firearm used to inflict the injury

Response Options:
Calib
556
5.56 millimeters
6
6 millimeters
635
6.35 millimeters
65
6.5 millimeters
7
7 millimeters
735
7.35 millimeters
75
7.5 millimeters
762
7.62 millimeters
763
.63 millimeters
765
7.65 millimeters
8
8 millimeters
9
9 millimeters
10
10 millimeters
11
11 millimeters
17
.17 inches
22
.22 inches
221
.221 inches
222
.222 inches
223
.223 inches
243
.243 inches
25
.25 inches
250
.250 inches
256
.256 inches
257
.257 inches
264
.264 inches
270
.270 inches
280
.280 inches
284
.284 inches
30
.30 inches (including 30-06)
300
.300 inches
303
.303 inches
308
.308 inches
32
.32 inches
338
.338 inches
35
.35 inches
16-13

Weapon
351
357
36
375
38
380
40
401
405
41
44
444
45
455
458
460
50
54
58
60
1000
1001
1002
1003
6666
8888
9999

.351 inches
.357 inches
.36 inches
.375 inches
.38 inches
.380 inches
.40 inches
.401 inches
.405 inches
.41 inches
.44 inches
.444 inches
.45 inches
.455 inches
.458 inches
.460 inches
.50 inches
.54 inches
.58 inches
.60 inches
Undetermined whether .38 or .357
Small, unspecified (<=32)
Medium, unspecified (>32, <10mm/.40)
Large, unspecified (>=10mm/.40)
Other
Not applicable (shotgun or unknown gun type)
Unknown

10
12
16
20
28
410
666
888
999

10 gauge
12 gauge
16 gauge
20 gauge
28 gauge
.410
Other
Not applicable
Unknown

Gauge

Uses
These data can be used to identify trends in smaller- and larger-caliber weapons use. They
may be useful (when coupled with data on nonfatal injuries) for assessing case fatality rates
by certain weapon and ammunition classes.
Discussion

16-14

Weapon
These variables are designed to capture the caliber/gauge or estimated caliber/gauge of the
firearm used in the fatal event.
 Note that firearms have a caliber or a gauge, but not both. Caliber is used with handguns
and rifles. Gauge is used with shotguns.
 The codes correspond to calibers, measured in fractions of an inch or in millimeters, or
gauges in the case of shotguns. In addition, a free text field captures the cartridge
specification (when available).
 Recovered cartridge casings, the firearm itself, and the bullet are sources for indicating or
estimating the firearm caliber.
 Some firearms will fire more than one type of cartridge. For example, firearms designed
to fire the .357 Magnum will also fire .38 (Smith & Wesson) Special cartridges.
 Unless a cartridge casing is recovered, it may be impossible to tell which cartridge type
was involved in the incident. Consequently, this field should be coded from cartridge
casings when they are available, from the markings stamped onto the firearm when
cartridge casings are not recovered, and from recovered bullets when neither a casing nor
a firearm is recovered.
 A special code (38357) has been created for cases when a bullet has been recovered and
the absence of a cartridge or firearm makes it impossible to determine the difference
between a .38 or a .357.
The “caliber” of a rifle or handgun is the diameter of the bore before the rifling grooves were
cut.
 Caliber may also be given in terms of bullet, land, or groove diameter.
 In some cases, the caliber specification associated with particular cartridge types is
neither accurate nor consistent. For example, the caliber of the .38 Special cartridge is
actually .357, not .38 as the cartridge type suggests.
The term “gauge” is used to describe the size of the bore of a shotgun.
 The term refers to the number of lead balls of the given bore diameter that make up a
pound. In a 12-gauge, for example, it takes 12 bore-diameter lead balls to make up a
pound.
 The most common exception to this nomenclature is the .410, which has a bore diameter
of 0.410 inches.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Calib

Firearm
caliber
Firearm
gauge

Weapon
Weapon

Gauge

Priority

Number

Field
Length
4

Primacy

Number

3

LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR

LR/LR/LR LAB/CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB

CME

PR
16-15

Weapon
LWFACAL
LWFAGAU

MWFACAL
MWFAGAU

PWFACAL
PWFAGAU

Firearm serial number: Serial
Data Sources: LAB/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Serial

Definition
Serial number of the firearm that was used to inflict the injury

Response Options:
Serial number on firearm
666666666666
Serial number totally or partially obliterated
999999999999
Unknown
Uses
The serial number of the firearm can be used to trace its use in an incident from the first
purchaser to the gun dealer from which it was purchased. The serial number is considered a
local data element and is not forwarded to the national database.
Discussion
The serial number for firearms is not unique across gun manufacturers and is not designed to
identify the type or characteristics of the firearm. Serial numbers are used to trace firearms.
 This data element is coded exactly as the serial number recorded on the firearm.
 Serial numbers can include both letters and numbers.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Serial

Firearm serial
number

Weapon

Text

Field
Length
12

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
LAB
LWFASER

16-16

CME
MWFASER

PR
PWFASER

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR/LR

LAB/CME/PR

Weapon

Firearm stolen: Stoln
Data Sources: ATF/CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Stoln

Definition
Firearm listed or reported as stolen

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
This information is useful for determining the source of guns used in fatalities.
Discussion
Code “Stoln” as “Yes” if the gun was formally reported as stolen in ATF trace results, police
records, or if the police or CME learned that the gun had been stolen during the course of the
death investigation.
 If a household member takes a gun from another household member and uses it without
his or her permission, do not code that gun as stolen unless the owner had reported the
gun as stolen to the police.
Yes
 A suspect who could not legally purchase a firearm went into a gun store, grabbed a
firearm and ran out the door leaving $200 on the counter.
No
 A son takes his father’s weapon from his drawer and shoots himself with it. The gun was
not reported to the police as stolen.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

Stoln

Firearm
stolen

Weapon

Number

Field
Length
1

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR/LR PR/ATF/CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
ATF
AWFASTOL

CME
MWFASTOL

PR
PWFASTOL

16-17

Weapon

Firearm trace attempted: Trace
Data Sources: PR
NVDRS Name
Trace

Definition
Identifies whether an ATF or NCIC trace was attempted on the
firearm(s) involved in the case

Response Options:
0
1
2
3
8
9

No trace done: gun manufactured before 1969
No trace done: other reason
Trace successful
Trace not successful
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
This data element will be used by sites working with a local police agency and the ATF to
receive trace results on guns used in fatalities. It will identify whether a gun was submitted
for a trace and, if submitted, whether the trace succeeded or failed.
Discussion
Gun trace attempts may be noted differently in police records. References such as ATF
trace, gun trace, NCIC trace, etc., should all be considered an attempt at a trace.
Analysis
Name Label
Table
Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
Trace Firearm trace attempted Weapon Number 1
LR
PR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
PR
PWFATRAC

16-18

Weapon

Gun owner: Owner
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Owner

Definition
Owner of the firearm

Response Options:
1
2
3
6
7

Shooter
Parent of shooter
Other family member of shooter
Friend/acquaintance of shooter
Stranger to shooter

66 Other (specify in youth access narrative)
99 Unknown
Uses
This variable can be used to better understand how youths gain access to the guns they use to
injure themselves or others.
Discussion
The Youth Access variables are to be completed on guns used by youths 17 years of age and
younger who shoot themselves or another person in the incident.
 In the narrative, include a brief summary of where and from whom the firearm was
obtained and whether the youth had authorized access to the firearm.
 The Youth Access variables can be completed for people ages 18 or more if desired.
Analysis
Name

Label

Owner Gun owner

Table
Weapon

Type
Number

Field
Length
2

Priority
LR/LR

Primacy
CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWFAOWN

PR
PWFAOWN

16-19

Weapon

Gun stored loaded: Loaded
Gun stored locked: Locked
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Loaded
Locked

Definition
Was the firearm stored loaded?
Was the firearm stored locked?

Response Options:
Loaded
0
1
6
8
9
Locked
0
1
6
8
9

Unloaded
Loaded
Other (specify in youth access narrative)
Not applicable
Unknown

Not locked
Locked (stored with trigger lock on or in locked enclosure like closet)
Other (specify in youth access narrative)
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
This variable can be used to better understand how youths gain access to the guns they use to
injure themselves or others.
Discussion
The Youth Access variables are to be completed on guns used by youths 17 years of age and
younger who shoot themselves or another person in the incident.
 In the narrative, include a brief summary of where and from whom the firearm was
obtained and whether the youth had authorized access to the firearm.
 The Youth Access variables can be completed for people ages 18 or more if desired.
Analysis
Name Label
Table
Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
Loaded Gun stored loaded Weapon Number
1
LR/LR CME/PR
Locked Gun stored locked Weapon Number
1
LR/LR CME/PR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWFALOAD
MWFALOCK
16-20

PR
PWFALOAD
PWFALOCK

Weapon

Youth gun access narrative: YthNarr
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
YthNarr

Definition
Narrative providing details about youth access to the firearm used to
inflict the injury

Response Options:
Text description of access to gun.
Uses
This variable can be used to better understand how youths gain access to the guns they use to
injure themselves or others.
Discussion
The Youth Access variables are to be completed on guns used by youths 17 years of age and
younger who shoot themselves or another person in the incident.
 In the narrative, include a brief summary of where and from whom the firearm was
obtained and whether the youth had authorized access to the firearm.
 The Youth Access variables can be completed for people ages 18 or more if desired.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

YthNarr

Youth gun access
narrative

Weapon

Text

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
100
LR/LR CME/PR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWFAYOU

PR
PWFAYOU

16-21

Weapon

Type of poison: Poison
Data Sources: CME/PR
NVDRS Name
Poison

Definition
Broad type of poison used to inflict injury

Response Options:
1
2
3
4
5
6
66
88
99

Street/recreational drugs
Alcohol
Pharmaceuticals – prescription
Pharmaceuticals – over-the-counter
Pharmaceuticals – unknown
Carbon monoxide or other gas, vapor
Other poison (e.g., rat poison, insecticide, lye)
Not applicable (not a poisoning)
Unknown

Uses
These variables describe the types of poisons used in violent deaths, especially in suicides
and deaths of undetermined intent.
Discussion
Only poisons known or suspected to be involved should be included in the incident. For a
person who ingests multiple drugs, each drug constitutes a separate “Weapon” record.
 For Type of poison, use “Pharmaceutical-Prescription” if the drug is usually obtained
through prescription even if the victim was not the person for whom the drug was
prescribed. The “Prescription” category includes drugs of abuse such as oxycontin and
methadone because these are usually prescribed. It should not include other drugs such
as cocaine and methamphetamines because these are usually manufactured illicitly rather
than prescribed. These should be categorized as “Street/ recreational drugs.”
Analysis
Name Label
Table
Type
Field Length Priority Primacy
Poison Type of poison Weapon Number
2
LR/LR CME/PR
SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWPOISOT

16-22

PR
PWPOISOT

Weapon

Code for poison: PCode
Name of poison if other: PoisonTxt
Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
PCode

Definition
Code for poison used to inflict injury

PoisonTxt

Name of poison used to inflict injury if not in PCode list

Response Options:
PCode
Poison code (see below for list of PCode)
22222
Alcohol/alcoholic beverages
66666
Other
99999
Unknown
PoisonTxt
Enter name of other poison
Uses
These variables describe the types of poisons used in violent deaths, especially in suicides
and deaths of undetermined intent.
Discussion
Only poisons known or suspected to be involved should be included in the incident. For a
person who ingests multiple drugs, each drug constitutes a separate “Weapon” record. Enter
poison codes by beginning to type the name of the drug. All possibilities with that initial
spelling will appear in a drop down list. If the poison you are attempting to enter is not in the
list, record it under ‘Name of poison if other’.
 Using poison codes avoids problems with variant spellings of the same drug and
variant names for the same chemical.
 Poison codes (“PCodes”) have been assigned only to the more common poisons,
primarily drugs.
 The poison code list below includes a column that will indicate whether the drug is
used for psychiatric problems and a column that will indicate the type of poison, e.g.,
over-the-counter versus prescription.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

PCode
PoisonTxt

Code for poison
Name of poison

Weapon
Weapon

Type

Field
Length
Number
5
Text
50

Priority Primacy
LR
LR

CME
CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWPOISOC
MWPOISON
16-23

Weapon
Poison Drug List Coding listed on the following pages:
Poison Type
1
2
3
4
5
6
66
88
99

16-24

Street/recreational drug
Alcohol
Pharmaceuticals—Prescription
Pharmaceuticals—Over-the-counter
Pharmaceuticals—Unknown
Carbon monoxide or other gas, vapor
Other poison (e.g., rat poison, pesticide)
Not applicable (not a poisoning)
Unknown

Weapon

Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

1
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
5
6

Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen w/codeine
Acetaminophen w/codeine
Acetone
Alprazolam
Alprazolam
Amitriptyline
Amitriptyline
Amitriptyline/
Chlordiazepoxide
Amitriptyline/
Chlordiazepoxide
Amitriptyline/Perphenazine
Amitriptyline/Perphenazine
Amitriptyline/Perphenazine
Amlodipine Besylate
Amlodipine Besylate
Amobarbital
Amobarbital
Amobarbital/Secobarbital
Amobarbital/Secobarbital
Amoxapine
Amoxapine
Amphetamine – Unspecified
Amphetamine Complex
Amphetamine Mixtures
Amphetamine Sulfate
Amphetamine Sulfate
Amtriptyline
Antidepressant – Unspecified
Atorvastatin Calcium
Atorvastatin Calcium
Benzoylecgonine
Methylester
Benzoylecgonine
Benzoylecgonine
Methylester
Bupropion
Bupropion
Buspirone
Buspirone
Butalbital Compound

Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other

Poison
Type
4
4
3
3
66
3
3
3
3
3

Other

3

Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Cocaine

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1

Cocaine
Cocaine

1
1

Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other

3
3
3
3
3

6

Acetaminophen
Tylenol
Acetaminophen w/codeine
Tylenol w/codine
Acetone
Alprazolam
Xanax
Amitriptyline
Endep
Amitriptyline/Chlordiazepo
xide
Limbitrol

7
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
10
11
11
12
13
14
15
15
16
17
18
18
19

Amitriptyline/Perphenazine
Etrafon
Triavil
Amlodipine Besylate
Norvasc
Amobarbital
Amytal
Amobarbital/Secobarbital
Tuinal
Amoxapine
Ascendin
Amphetamine
Amphetamine Complex
Amphetamine Mixtures
Adderall
Amphetamine Sulfate
Elavil
Antidepressant
Atorvastatin Calcium
Lipitor
BEME

19
19

Benzoylecgonine
Benzoylecgonine
Methylester
Bupropion
Wellbutrin
Buspar
Buspirone
Butalbital Compound

20
20
21
21
22

16-25

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

22
22
23
23
24
24
25

Butalbital Compound
Butalbital Compound
Carbamazepine
Carbamazepine
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb)

Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
6
6
6

Carisoprodol
Carisoprodol
Celecoxib
Celecoxib
Chloral Hydrate
Chlordiazepoxide
Chlordiazepoxide
Chlorpheniramine
Chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine
Citalopram
Citalopram
Clomipramine
Clomipramine
Clonazepam
Clonazepam
Clorazepate
Clorazepate
Clozapine
Clozapine
Cocaethylene
Cocaine
Codeine
Codeine
Codeine Phosphate
Codeine Sulfate
Colchicine
Conjugated Estrogens
Conjugated Estrogens
Cotinine
Cyclobenzapine
Hydrochloride
Cyclobenzapine
Hydrochloride
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol

Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Cocaine
Cocaine
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
66
3

Other

3

Marijuana
Marijuana

1
1

45

Fioricet
Fiorinal
Carbamazepine
Tegretol
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
CO
Carboxyhemoglobin
(COHb)
Carisoprodol
Soma
Celebrex
Celecoxib
Chloral Hydrate
Chlordiazepoxide
Librium
Chlorpheniramine
Chlorpromazine
Thorazine
Celexa
Citalopram
Anafranil
Clomipramine
Clonazepam
Klonopin
Clorazepate
Tranxene
Clozapine
Clozaril
Cocaethylene
Cocaine
Codeine
Robitussin A-C
Codeine Phosphate
Codeine Sulfate
Colchicine
Conjugated Estrogens
Premarin
Cotinine
Cyclobenzapine
Hydrochloride
Flexeril

46
46

Cannabinoids
Delta-9-

26
26
27
27
28
29
29
30
31
31
32
32
33
33
34
34
35
35
36
36
37
38
39
39
40
41
42
43
43
44
45

16-26

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name
47
47
48
49
50
50
51
52
53
53
54
54
54
54
54
54
54
55
55
56
56
56
57
57

tetrahydrocannabinol
Desipramine
Norpramin
Focalin
Dextroamphetamine
Dexedrine
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate
Dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan
Hydobromide
Diacetylmorphine
Heroin
Centrax
Diazepam
Dizac
Prazepam
Valium
Valrelease
Zetran
Diethylpropion
Tenuate
Cardizem
Dilacor
Diltiazem Hydrocholoride
Benadryl

57

Diphenhydramine
Hydrochloride
Sominex

58
58
59
59
60
61
62
63
63
64
64
65
65
65

Depakote
Divalproex Sodium
Doxepin
Sinequan
Doxylamine Succinate
Triamterene
Ecgonine
Ecgonine Methyl Ester
EME
Estazolam
Prosom
Amidate
Anesthesia
Etomidate

Chemical Name

Category

Poison
Type

Desipramine
Desipramine
Dexmethylphenidate
Dextroamphetamine
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate
Dextroamphetamine Sulfate
Dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan
Hydobromide
Diacetylmorphine
Diacetylmorphine
Diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam
Diethylpropion
Diethylpropion
Diltiazem Hydrocholoride
Diltiazem Hydrocholoride
Diltiazem Hydrocholoride
Diphenhydramine
Hydrochloride
Diphenhydramine
Hydrochloride
Diphenhydramine
Hydrochloride
Divalproex Sodium
Divalproex Sodium
Doxepin
Doxepin
Doxylamine Succinate
Dyazide
Ecgonine
Ecgonine Methyl Ester
Ecgonine Methyl Ester
Estazolam
Estazolam
Etomidate
Etomidate
Etomidate

Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine
Other
Other

3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4

Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

1
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4

Other

4

Other

4

Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

3
3
3
3
4
3
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
3

16-27

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

66
66
66
66
67
67

Fentanyl
Fentanyl
Fentanyl
Fentanyl
Fexofenadine Hydrochloride
Fexofenadine Hydrochloride

Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
3
3

Finasteride
Finasteride
Flunitrazepam
Flunitrazepam
Fluoxetine
Fluoxetine
Fluoxetine
Fluphenazine
Fluphenazine
Flurazepam
Flurazepam
Fluvoxamine
Fluvoxamine
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate
Halazepam
Halazepam
Haloperidol
Haloperidol
Heroin
Heroin
Heroin
Humulin
Humulin
Hydrochlorothiazide
Hydrochlorothiazide
Triamterene
Hydrocodone Bitartrate
Hydrocodone Bitartrate
Hydrocodone Bitartrate
Hydrocortisone
Hydromorphone
Hydrochloride
Hydromorphone
Hydrochloride
Hydroxyzine
Hydroxyzine

Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Other

3
3
1
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
3
3
3
3

Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Opiate

3
3
3
3
3

Opiate

3

Other
Other

3
3

68
68
69
69
70
70
70
71
71
72
72
73
73
74
74
75
75
76
76
77
77
77
78
78
79
80

Actiq
Duragesic Patch
Fentanyl
Sublimaze
Allegra
Fexofenadine
Hydrochloride
Finasteride
Proscar
Flunitrazepam
Rohypnol
Fluoxetine
Prozac
Sarafem
Fluphenazine
Prolixin
Dalmane
Flurazepam
Fluvoxamine
Luvox
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate
GHB
Halazepam
Paxipam
Haldol
Haloperidol
6-acetylmorphine
MAM
Monoacetylmorphine
Humulin
Insulin
Hydrochlorothiazide
Dyazide

81
81
81
82
83

Hydrocodone Bitartrate
Lortab
Vicodin
Hydrocortisone
Dilaudid

83

Hydromorphone
Hydrochloride
Atarax
Hydroxyzine

84
84

16-28

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

84
85
85
86
86
87
87
88
89
89
90
90
91
91
91
91
91
91
92
92
93
93
94
94
95
95
96
97
97
98
99
99
100
100
100
100
100
101
101
102
102
103
103
104

Hydroxyzine
Imipramine
Imipramine
Isotretinoin
Isotretinoin
Ketamine
Ketamine
Ketorolac
Lanoxin
Lanoxin
Leflunomide
Leflunomide
Lithium
Lithium
Lithium
Lithium
Lithium
Lithium
Loratadine
Loratadine
Loraxepam
Loraxepam
Losartan Potassium
Losartan Potassium
Loxapine Succinate
Loxapine Succinate
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
Maprotiline
Maprotiline
Marijuana
Meperidine Hydrochloride
Meperidine Hydrochloride
Meprobamate
Meprobamate
Meprobamate
Meprobamate
Meprobamate
Mesoridazine
Mesoridazine
Metformin Hydrochloride
Metformin Hydrochloride
Methadone
Methadone
Methamphetamine

Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Marijuana
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Amphetamine

Vistaril
Imipramine
Tofranil
Accutane
Isotretinoin
Ketalar SV
Ketamine
Toradol
Digoxin
Lanoxin
Arava
Leflunomide
Eskalith
Lithane
Lithium
Lithobid
Lithonate
Lithotabs
Claritin
Loratadine
Ativan
Loraxepam
Cozaar
Losartan Potassium
Loxapine
Loxitane
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
Ludiomil
Maprotiline
Marijuana
Demerol
Meperidine Hydrochloride
Equinal
Meprobamate
Meprospan
Miltown
Neuramate
Mesoridazine
Serentil
Glucophage
Metformin Hydrochloride
Dolophine
Methadone
Methamphetamine

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
3
3
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1

16-29

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

105

Methamphetamine
Hydrochloride
Methaqualone
Methaqualone
Methaqualone
Methylenedioxyamphetamine
Methylenedioxyamphetamine
Methylenedioxyamphetamine
Methylenedioxyamphetamine
Methylphenidate
Methylphenidate
Methylphenidate
Methylphenidate
Other

Amphetamine

Poison
Type
1

Other
Other
Other
Amphetamine

1
1
1
1

Amphetamine

1

Amphetamine

1

Amphetamine

1

Other
Other
Other
Other
3

1
1
1
1
3

Methylphenidate
Hydrochloride
Methylphenidate
Hydrochloride
Methylphenidate
Hydrochloride
Midazolam Hydrochloride
Midazolam Hydrochloride
Mirtazapine
Mirtazapine
Molindone Hydrochloride
Molindone Hydrochloride
Morphine Sulfate
Morphine Sulfate
Morphine Sulfate
Morphine Sulfate
Morphine Sulfate
Morphine Sulfate
Nabumetone
Nabumetone
Naproxen
Naproxen
Nefazodone
Nefazodone Hydrochloride
Nifedipine

Other

3

Other

3

Other

3

Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

106
106
106
107

Methamphetamine
Hydrochloride
Methaqualone
Quaalude
Sopor
MDA

108

Ecstasy

108

MDMA

108

110

Methylenedioxyamphetami
ne
Concerta
Metadate
Methylin
Methylphenidate
Methylphenidate
Hydrochloride
Ritalin

110

Ritalin LA

110

Ritalin SR

111
111
112
112
113
113
114
114
114
114
114
114
115
115
116
116
117
118
119

Midazolam Hydrochloride
Versed
Mirtazapine
Remeron
Moban
Molindone Hydrochloride
Duramorph
Morphine
MS Contin
MSIR
Oramorph SR
Roxanol
Nabumetone
Relafen
Naprosyn
Naproxen
Serzone
Nefazodone Hydrochloride
Nifedipine

109
109
109
109
110

16-30

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

119
120
120
120
121
121
121
121
122
122
123
123
124
124
124
124
124
124
124
125
126
126
127
127
128
128
129
129
130
130
131
131
132
132
133
133

Nifedipine
Nortriptyline
Nortriptyline
Nortriptyline
Olanzapine
Olanzapine
Olanzapine
Olanzapine
Oxaprozin
Oxaprozin
Oxazepam
Oxazepam
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxymorphone
Papaverine Hydrochloride
Papaverine Hydrochloride
Paroxetine
Paroxetine
Pemoline
Pemoline
Pentazocine
Pentazocine
Pentobarbital Sodium
Pentobarbital Sodium
Perphenazine
Perphenazine
Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine Hydrochloride
Phencyclidine Hydrochloride

Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
1

Phenelzine Sulfate
Phenelzine Sulfate
Phenobarbital Sodium
Phenobarbital Sodium
Phentermine Hydrochloride
Phentermine Hydrochloride
Phentermine Hydrochloride

Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

3
3
3
3
3
3
3

134
134
135
135
136
136
136

Procardia
Aventyl
Nortriptyline
Pamelor
Olanzapine
Zydis
Zyprexa
Zyprexa Zydis
Daypro
Oxaprozin
Oxazepam
Serax
Lorcet
Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycontin
Percocet
Percodan
Roxicet
Tylox
Numorphan
Papaverine Hydrochloride
Pavabid
Paroxetine
Paxil
Cylert
Pemoline
Pentazocine
Talwin
Nembutal
Pentobarbital Sodium
Perphenazine
Trilafon
Angel Dust
Phencyclidine
PCP
Phencyclidine
Hydrochloride
Nardil
Phenelzine Sulfate
Phenobarbital
Phenobarbital Sodium
Adipex-P
Fastin
Phentermine Hydrochloride

16-31

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

137
137
138
138
139
139
140
140
141

Dilantin
Phenytoin Sodium
Orap
Pimozide
Pravachol
Pravastatin Sodium
Phenergan
Promethazine
Darvocet

Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Opiate

142

Darvon

Opiate

3

142

Propoxyphene
Hydrochloride
Protriptyline
Vivactil
Pseudoephedrine
Quetiapine
Seroquel
Accupril
Quinapril Hydrochloride
Risperdal
Risperidone
Secobarbital
Seconal
Sertraline
Zoloft
Meridia

Phenytoin Sodium
Phenytoin Sodium
Pimozide
Pimozide
Pravastatin Sodium
Pravastatin Sodium
Promethazine
Promethazine
Propoxyphene/
Acetaminophen
Propoxyphene
Hydrochloride
Propoxyphene
Hydrochloride
Protriptyline
Protriptyline
Pseudoephedrine
Quetiapine
Quetiapine
Quinapril Hydrochloride
Quinapril Hydrochloride
Risperidone
Risperidone
Secobarbital
Secobarbital
Sertraline
Sertraline
Sibutramine Hydrochloride
Monohydrate
Sibutramine Hydrochloride
Monohydrate
Sildenafil Citrate
Sildenafil Citrate
Tamsulosin Hydrochloride
Tamsulosin Hydrochloride
Temezepam
Temezepam
Terazosin
Terazosin
Tetrahydrocannabinol
Tetrahydrocannabinol-9Carboxylic Acid
Theophylline
Theophylline

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

Opiate

3

Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other

3
3
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

Other

3

Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Marijuana
Marijuana

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1

Other
Other

3
3

143
143
144
145
145
146
146
147
147
148
148
149
149
150
150
151
151
152
152
153
153
154
154
155
156

Sibutramine Hydrochloride
Monohydrate
Sildenafil Citrate
Viagra
Flomax
Tamsulosin Hydrochloride
Restoril
Temezepam
Hytrin
Terazosin
THC
THC-9-Carbxylic Acid

157
157

Aminophylline
Slo-bid

16-32

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

157
157
158
159
160
161
161
162
162
163
163
164
164
165
165
166
166
167

Slo-phyllin
Theophylline
Thiopental
Mellaril
Thioridazine Hydrochloride
Navane
Thiothixene
Ultram
Tramadol Hydrochloride
Parnate
Tranylcypromine Sulfate
Desyrel
Trazodone
Halcion
Triazolam
Stelazine
Trifluoperazine
Bactrim

Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Opiate
Opiate
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

167

Septra

Other

3

167

Trimethoprim
Sulfamethoxazole
Surmontil
Trimipramine
Valacyclovir Hydrochloride
Valtrex
Depakene
Valproic Acid
Effexor
Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
Sonata
Zaleplon
Geodon
Ziprasidone
Ambien
Zolpidem
Benzodiazepine
Unspecified
Lidocaine
Nicotine
Opiate Unspecified
Salicylate
Cialis

Theophylline
Theophylline
Thiopental
Thioridazine
Thioridazine Hydrochloride
Thiothixene
Thiothixene
Tramadol Hydrochloride
Tramadol Hydrochloride
Tranylcypromine Sulfate
Tranylcypromine Sulfate
Trazodone
Trazodone
Triazolam
Triazolam
Trifluoperazine
Trifluoperazine
Trimethoprim
Sulfamethoxazole
Trimethoprim
Sulfamethoxazole
Trimethoprim
Sulfamethoxazole
Trimipramine
Trimipramine
Valacyclovir Hydrochloride
Valacyclovir Hydrochloride
Valproic Acid
Valproic Acid
Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
Zaleplon
Zaleplon
Ziprasidone
Ziprasidone
Zolpidem
Zolpidem
Benzodiazepine Unspecified

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

Other

3

Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other
Other

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

Lidocaine Hydrochloride
Nicotine
Opiate Unspecified
Salicylate
Tadalafil

Other
Other
Opiate
Other
Other

3
66
1
4
3

168
168
169
169
170
170
171
171
172
172
173
173
174
174
175
176
177
178
179
180

16-33

Weapon
Code Informal/Trade Name

Chemical Name

Category

180
181
181
182
182
2222

Tadalafil
Vardenafil
Vardenafil
Escitalopram
Escitalopram
Alcohol

Other
Other
Other
Antidepressant
Antidepressant
Other

Poison
Type
3
3
3
3
3
2

Other
Unknown

Other
Unknown

66
99

6666
9999

16-34

Tadalafil
Levitra
Vardenafil
Lexapro
Escitalopram
Alcohol/Alcoholic
Beverage
Other
Unknown

Weapon

Patient drug obtained for: Patnt
Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
Patnt

Definition
Who was the patient that the drug was obtained for

Response Options:
1
Self
2
Spouse
3
Ex-spouse
4
Girlfriend or boyfriend
7
Ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend
8
Girlfriend or boyfriend, unspecified whether current or ex10
Parent of victim
11
Child of victim
12
Sibling
13
Grandchild of victim
14
Grandparent of victim
15
In-law
16
Stepparent of victim
17
Stepchild of victim
18
Child of victim’s boyfriend/girlfriend
19
Intimate partner of victim’s parent
29
Other family member (e.g., cousin, uncle)
30
Babysitter of victim
31
Acquaintance
32
Friend
33
Roommate (not intimate partner)
34
Schoolmate
35
Current or former work relationship (e.g., coworker)
44
Other person, known to victim
45
Stranger
88
Not applicable
99
Relationship unknown
Uses
This variable can be used to better understand how the victim or suspect obtained the poison.
The information may be used to modify prescription practices to prevent suicides.
Discussion
Please record the person for whom the drug(s) taken was/were prescribed.

16-35

Weapon

Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Patnt

Patient drug
obtained for

Weapon

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWDRUGPA

16-36

Priority
Field
Length
Number 2
LR
Type

Primacy
CME

Weapon

Carbon monoxide source, if CO: COSrc
Data Sources: CME
NVDRS Name
COSrc
Response Options:
1
2
8
9

Definition
Source of the carbon monoxide
Car, truck, bus
Other
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
This variable can be used to better understand how the victim or suspect obtained the poison.
The information may be used to understand carbon monoxide sources to prevent suicides.
Discussion
Please record the source of the carbon monoxide poisoning.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

COSrc

Carbon monoxide
source, if CO

Weapon

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Number 1
LR
CME

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MWCOSOU

16-37

Section 17
Weapon Trace Information
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Date of firearm first purchase

FPDate

17-3

State of firearm first purchase

FPSt

17-4

City of firearm first purchase

FpurPl

17-4

Firearm importer’s name

ImpNm

17-6

Firearm importer’s state

ImpSt

17-7

Firearm importer’s city

ImpCt

17-7

Weapon Trace

Date of firearm first purchase: FPDate
Data Sources: ATF
NVDRS Name
FPDate

Definition
Date the firearm was first purchased, according to trace results

Response Options:
Date
88/88/8888
99/99/9999

Not applicable (no trace done)
Unknown

Uses
This data element will be used by sites that work with a local police agency and the ATF to
receive trace information about guns used in fatalities. The date the gun was first purchased
can be used, for example, to help identify the “time to incident” (the length of time between
the first purchase of a gun and its use in a homicide or other fatality).
Discussion
The data entry program will accept partially unknown dates (e.g., 99/99/1989). Note: A
variable (First Purchaser) that documents whether the victim or suspect was the first
purchaser of the gun is described in the Weapon-Person Relation section.
Analysis
Name

Label

FPDate Date of firearm first purchase

Table
Weapon

Type Field
Length
Text 10

Priority Primacy
LR

ATF

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
ATF
AWFAFPDT

17-3

Weapon Trace

State of firearm first purchase: FPSt
City of firearm first purchase: FPurPl
Data Sources: ATF
NVDRS Name
FPSt
FPurPl

Definition
State where the firearm was first purchased, according to trace results
City where the firearm was first purchased, according to trace results

Response Options:
FPSt

1
Alabama
2
Alaska
4
Arizona
5
Arkansas
6
California
8
Colorado
9
Connecticut
10
Delaware
11
District of Columbia
12
Florida
13
Georgia
15
Hawaii
16
Idaho
17
Illinois
18
Indiana
19
Iowa
20
Kansas
21
Kentucky
22
Louisiana
23
Maine
24
Maryland
25
Massachusetts
26
Michigan
27
Minnesota
28
Mississippi
29
Missouri
30
Montana
FPurPl
City FIPS code
99999 Unknown

31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
88
99

Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Not applicable
Unknown

Uses
These data elements will be used by sites that work with a local police agency and the ATF
to receive trace results on guns used in fatalities. The city and state where the gun was first
purchased can be used, for example, to track the number of guns whose sale originated

17-4

Weapon Trace
locally vs. out of state.
Discussion
City is coded using FIPS 5-digit place codes. See the discussion of FIPS place codes that
accompany the variable “Place” (person’s city of residence).
Analysis
Name

Label

FPSt
State of firearm first purchase
FPurPl City of firearm first purchase

Table

Type

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
Weapon Number 2
LR
ATF
Weapon Number 5
LR
ATF

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
ATF
AWFAFPST
AWFAFPCI

17-5

Weapon Trace

Firearm importer’s name: ImpNm
Data Sources: ATF
NVDRS Name

Definition

ImpNm

Name of importer

Response Options:
Name of firearm importer
88 Not applicable
99 Unknown
Uses
The importer’s name is needed to conduct a trace by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (ATF) for firearms that are imported into the United States from other countries.
Imported guns typically have this information stamped on them.
Discussion
This information is supplied by the law enforcement or criminal justice agency requesting the
ATF trace.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

ImpNm

Firearm importer’s name

Weapon

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
ATF
AWFAIMNA

17-6

Type
Text

Field
Priority Primacy
Length
30
LR
ATF

Weapon Trace

Firearm importer’s state: ImpSt
Firearm importer’s city: ImpCt
Data Sources: ATF
NVDRS Name

Definition

ImpSt

State of import

ImpCt

City of import

Response Options:
ImpSt
1
2
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana

31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
88
99

Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Not applicable
Unknown

ImpCt
City FIPS code
99999 Unknown
Uses
The importer’s city and state is needed to conduct a trace by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms (ATF) for firearms that are imported into the United States from other

17-7

Weapon Trace
countries. Imported guns may have this information stamped on them.
Discussion
This information is supplied by the law enforcement or criminal justice agency requesting the
ATF trace. “ImpCt” is coded using FIPS 5-digit place codes. See the discussion of FIPS
place codes that accompany the variable “Place” (person’s city of residence).
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

ImpSt
ImpCt

Firearm importer’s state
Firearm importer’s city

Weapon
Weapon

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
ATF
AWFAIMST
AWFAIMCI

17-8

Priority Primacy
Field
Length
Number
2
LR
ATF
Number
5
LR
ATF
Type

Weapon Trace

Firearm stolen: Stoln
See Weapon/CME for information regarding variable appearing above.

17-9

Section 18
Person-Weapon Relationship
Variable Label
Person used this weapon to kill
Weapon killed this person
First purchaser

Variable Name

Page

WUser

18-3

WusedOn

18-3

Fpurc

18-4

P-W Relationship

Person used this weapon to kill: WUser
Weapon killed this person: WUsedOn
Data Sources: CME/PR/SHR
NVDRS Name
WUser
WUsedOn

Definition
Did this person use this weapon (either against another person or
against him or herself)
Was the weapon used to kill this person

Response Options:
0
No
1
Yes
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
“WUser” links the person with the weapon or weapon type chosen. “WUsedOn” links the
victim to the weapon used to kill the victim. The variables also indirectly link victims to
suspects.
Discussion
The intention of “WUsedOn” is to capture the use of weapons by both suspects and suicide
victims. In the case of a single suicide, indicate the victim. If the incident involves multiple
suspects, it may be difficult to determine which suspect actually used the weapon or weapon
type to cause the injury. In this case, code unknown for “WUser”. Record the personweapon variables for all manners of death, including suicide.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Type

WUser

Person used this
weapon to kill
Weapon killed
this person

PW_
Relation
PW_
Relation

Number

Field
Length
1

Number

1

WUsedOn

Priority

Primacy

LR/LR/LR

PR/CME/SHR

LR/LR/LR

PR/CME/SHR

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
CME
MPWUSER
MPWUSEON

PR
PPWUSER
PPWUSEON

SHR
SPWUSER
SPWUSEON

18-3

P-W Relationship

First purchaser: Fpurc
Data Sources: ATF/PR
NVDRS Name
Fpurc

Definition
Identifies whether the person (victim or suspect) was the first purchaser
of the gun

Response Options:
0
Person was not the 1st purchaser
1
Person was 1st purchaser (match on full name)
2
Person shares surname and address of 1st purchaser
3
Person shares only address of 1st purchaser
4
Person shares only surname of 1st purchaser
8
Not applicable
9
Unknown
Uses
This data element will be used by sites working with a law enforcement agency and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to conduct traces on guns used in fatalities.
Traces establish the first purchaser and the place of purchase. The data element summarizes
trace results by identifying whether the victim or suspect in a case was the first purchaser of
the gun. The data can be used, for example, to help identify shooters who obtained their guns
from the secondary market. It can identify victims who used their own guns to kill a
suspected criminal in self-defense or whose own guns were used against them in a homicide.
Discussion
This variable is triggered only in cases in which a trace has been successfully completed.
 It is completed for each person in the case to indicate whether that person or another
person with the same surname or address was the first purchaser.
Analysis
Name

Label

Table

Fpurc

First purchaser

PW_Relation Number

SAS Variable Names by Data Source
ATF
APWPURC1

18-4

PR
PPWPURC1

Type

Field
Priority
Length
1
LR/LR

Primacy
ATF/PR

Section 19
Validation Rules
Rule
#
0001

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

Age, AgeTyp,
PType
Age

If (AgeTyp>1 or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <5)), then (PType <> 2 or 3)
Warning if ((AgeTyp=1 and (Age
>115) and (Age <> 999))

People under 5 years old are
unlikely to be suspects.
Ages must be less than 115 years or
Unknown (999).

0

0003

Age, AgeTyp,
IncTyp

If (AgeTyp >1 or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <5)), then (IncTyp <> 3)

Persons under age 5 cannot commit
suicide.

0

0004

Age, AgeTyp,
Educ

If (AgeTyp >1 or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <5)), then (Educ = 0 orblank)

Persons under age 5 have completed
no education (Veduc).

0

0005

Age, AgeTyp,
CareTk

If (AgeTyp >1 or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <5)), then (CareTk <> 1)

Persons under age 5 are unlikely to
be caretakers.

0

0006

Age, AgeTyp,
Rela1
Age, AgeTyp,
Job

Persons under age 14 are too young
to be in the indicated
relationship.
Persons under age 14 are usually too
young to be employed.

0

0007

If (AgeTyp >1 or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <14)), then (Rela1 <> 1, 2, 3,
7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 19, or 51)
If (AgeTyp >1 or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <14)), then (Job <> 1)

0008

LocTyp,
Reside

If (Reside=1), then (LocTyp =1,
19, 23–26, 66, or blank)

0

0009

AlchRs, Intox

Warning if (AlchRs=1) and (Intox
<> 1 or blank)

0010

DthDt, IDate

Warning if (IDate > DthDt)

0011

IDate, ITime

If (IDate day, month, or year=99),
then (ITime=99:99)

0012

DthDt

Warning if (DthDt < 01/01/2002)

0013

DthDt

Error if (DthDt >current date)

The incident location you entered
elsewhere is not compatible with
this being the person’s residence.
The toxicology test indicated the
presence of alcohol. Are you sure
the person was not intoxicated?
The injury date must precede or be
the same as the death date unless a
date is unknown.
If day, month, or year is Unknown
(99), time must be
Unknown (9999) too.
Only dates in 2002 or later
preceding the current date are
allowed.
The date of death cannot
occur in the future.

0014

DthDt

Error if (DthDt >=01/01/9999)

The year of death cannot
be Unknown (9999).

1

0015

Sunit, Surviv

If (Sunit=1), then (Surviv <120,
777, or 999)

0

0016

Sunit, Surviv

If (Sunit=2), then (Surviv>=2 and
<=47, 777, or 999)

If survival time unit is
minutes, survival time must be less
than 120, Not collected (777), or
Unknown (999).
If survival time unit is hours,
survival time must be 2 to 47, Not
collected (777), or Unknown (999).

0002

0

0

0

0

0
0
1

0

19-1

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0017

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

Sunit, Surviv

If (Sunit=3), then (Surviv >=2 and
<=365, 777, or 999)

0

0018

JustSCirc,
SCirc

If (JustSCirc=1–6) then (SCirc=80,
or 81)

0019

Countr, Place

If (Countr <> USA), then (Place
=88888)

0020

Countr,
ResState

If (Countr <> USA), then
(ResState=88)

0021

Countr,
ResCounty

If (Countr <> USA), then
(ResCounty=888)

If survival time unit is days, survival
time must be 2–365 days, Not
collected (777), or Unknown (999).
If SHR justifiable homicide
circumstance indicates a justifiable
homicide (1–6), SHR circumstance
should also indicate justifiable
homicide (80,81).
If the country of residence is not the
USA, FIPS codes do not apply and
88888 must be entered for the
city/town code.
If the country of residence is not the
USA, FIPS codes do not apply and
88 must be entered for the state
code.
If the country of residence is not the
USA, FIPS codes do not apply and
888 must be entered for the county
code.

0022

Countr, ResZip

If (Countr <> USA), then
(ResZip=88888)

If the country of residence is not the
USA, zip codes do not apply and
88888 must be entered for the zip
code.

0

0023

Countr, CensSt

If (Countr <> USA), then
(CensSt=8888.88)

0

0024

Countr, CensBl

If (Countr <> USA), then
(CensBl=8)

0025

BthPlc, BthTxt

If (BthPlc <> 59), then (BthTxt=‘’)

0026

Preg, Sex

If (Sex <> 2), then (Preg=8)

If the country of residence is not the
USA, census tract codes do not
apply and 8888.88 must be entered
for the census code.
If the country of residence is not the
USA, census block codes do not
apply, and 8 must be entered for the
block code.
Enter birthplace text only if
birthplace code is Other (59).
A nonfemale individual cannot be
pregnant. Either change the sex or
change “Person was pregnant” to 8.

0027

0030

Not in current
manual
Not in current
manual
Dthplace,
PDthTx
Head, WType

0031

Face, WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(Face=8)

0032

Neck, WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(Neck=8)

0028
0029

19-2

If (Dthplace <> 66), then
(PDthTx=‘’)
If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(Head=8)

Enter Place of death text only if
Place of death code is Other (66).
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.

0

0

0

0

0

0
0

0
0
0
0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0033

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

Thorax,
WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(Thorax=8)

0

0034

Abdomn,
WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(Abdomn=8)

0035

Spine, WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(Spine=8)

0036

LowExt,
WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(LowExt=8)

0037

UpExt, WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(UpExt=8)

0038

NumWou,
WType

If (WType <> 1 or 6), then
(NumWou=88)

0039

NumWou,
WType

If (WType = 1 or 6), then
(NumWou<>88)

0040

NumBul,
WType

If (WType <> 1), then
(NumBul=88)

0041

NumBul,
WType

If (WType=1), then (NumBul <>
88)

This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
This wound variable should not be
completed when weapon type is
not firearm or sharp instrument.
If weapon type is not firearm or
sharp instrument, the number of
wounds is Not Applicable (88)
If weapon type is firearm or sharp
instrument, the number of wounds
should be something other than Not
Applicable (88)
If weapon type is not firearm, the
number of bullets is Not applicable
(88).
If weapon type is firearm, the
number of bullets should be a value
other than “Not applicable”.

0042

AlchRs, BAC

If (AlchRs=0), then (BAC=0.000)

If the alcohol test is reported as
negative, the blood alcohol level
must be recorded as 0.000.

0

0043

AlchRs, BAC

If (AlchRs=1), then (BAC >0.00
and BAC <=0.50)

If the alcohol test is reported as
positive, the blood alcohol level
must be recorded as a number
greater than zero and less than 0.5.

0

0044

AlchRs, BAC

If (AlchRs=9), then BAC=0.999

If the alcohol test result is Unknown,
the blood alcohol level must also be
Unknown.

0

0045

OthDrg,
OtDrRs

If (OtDrRs <>1), then
(OthDrg=‘’)

Enter name of other drug only if
other drug test results are present.

0

0046

AlchRs, SpcDt

If (AlchRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

If you know the result of a test is
positive, it assumed that the date and
time the specimen was collected
would be known.

0

0047

CokeRs, SpcDt

If (CokeRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

If you know the result of a test is
positive, it is assumed that the date
and time the specimen was collected

0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0

19-3

Validation Rules
Rule
#

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

would be known.
0048

MarjRs, SpcDt

If (MarjRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

0049

OpiaRs, SpcDt

If (OpiaRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

0050

AntiRs, SpcDt

If (AntiRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

0051

AmphRs,
SpcDt

If (AmphRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

0052

OtDrRs, SpcDt

IF (OtDrRs=1), then (SpcDt <>
88/88/8888 and SpcDt <>
99/99/9999 and SpcTme <> 99:99)

0053

SpcDt,
SpcTme

If (SpcDt=99/99/9999), then
(SpcTme=99:99)

0054

EmDep,
HECd9a,
HECd9b, Hosp

If (EmDep <> 1 and Hosp <> 1),
then HECd9a=000.8

0055

HECd9a,
HECd9b
HECd9a,
HECd9b
Circ, IncTyp

If (HECd9a=000.8), then
(HECd9b=000.8)
If (HECd9a <> 000.8), then
HECd9a <> HECd9b
If (IncTyp=66 or 99), then
(Circ=0)

0058

Mental,
TxMent

If (Mental=1), then (TxMent=1)

0059

TxMent,
MDiag1

If (Mental <> 1), then (MDiag1
=88 and is disabled)

0060

MDiag1,
MDiag2

If (MDiag1 <> 1,2,3,4,5, 6,7,8 and
66), then (MDiag2=88 or 99)

0061

MDiag1,
MDiag2

If (MDiag1=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8), then
MDiag2 <> MDiag1

0056
0057

19-4

If you know the result of a test is
positive, it is assumed that the date
and time the specimen was collected
would be known.
If you know the result of a test is
positive, it is assumed that the date
and time the specimen was collected
would be known.
If you know the result of a test is
positive, it is assumed that the date
and time the specimen was collected
would be known.
If you know the result of a test is
positive, it is assumed that the date
and time the specimen was collected
would be known.
If you know the result of a test is
positive, it is assumed that the date
and time the specimen was collected
would be known.
If the date a specimen was drawn is
unknown, then the time is likely
unknown too.
If the patient was admitted to neither
an ED nor a hospital, the discharge
diagnosis code must be 000.8
If the first diagnosis code is 000.8,
the second must be 000.8
Unless both diagnosis codes are
000.8, the codes must be different.
If the death type is Other or
Unknown, the “Circumstances
known” question must be “No”.
If the person had mental illness, it is
unlikely that they did not have
current treatment for mental illness.
If the person had no mental health
problem, they shouldn’t have a
mental health diagnosis, so this field
should be completed, “Not
applicable”.
If the first diagnosis was Not
collected or is Not applicable, the
second diagnosis should be “Not
applicable” or “Unknown”.
The two diagnoses should be
different unless they are both
Other (66) or both Not applicable
(88) or both Unknown (99).

0

0

0

0

0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0

0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0062

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

MenTxt,
MDiag1,
MDiag2
Mental,
TxMent

If ((MDiag1 <> 66) and (MDiag2
<> 1,2,3,4,5, and 66)), then
(MenTxt=‘’)
If (TxMent=1), then (Mental=1)

0

0064

Crisis, Health,
IPProb, Relat,
Job, School, ...

0065

NtCrm1,
NtCrm2

If (Crisis=1), then ((Health=1) or
(IPProb=1) or (Relat=1) or (Job=1)
or (School=1) or (FinProb=1) or
(RecSui=1) or (FamDeath=1) or
(RecCrm=1) or (Legal=1) or
(PIPV=1) or (PIPVVict=1) or
(SuiOth=1))
If (NtCrm1 <> 66), then (NtCrm1
<> NtCrm2)

This field can be completed only if
the diagnoses were “Other,” or if
there were more than 2 diagnoses.
If the person is being treated for
mental illness, they should be coded
as having mental illness.
If the person is reported to have
had an acute life crisis, one of the
specific types of crises must be
checked.

If the type of crime is not “Other,”
the types of crimes must differ.

0

0066

If (Crime=0 or 9), then
(NtCrm1=88)
If (NtCrm1=88 or
NtCrm1=99), then
(NtCrm2=88)

If there is no crime relation, types of
crime should be Not applicable (88).
If the first crime is “Not applicable”
or “Unknown”, the second crime
should be “Not applicable”.

0

0067

Crime,
NtCrm1
NtCrm2

0068

NtCrm2

If (Crime=0 or 9), then
(NtCrm2=88)

0

0069

TyTxt

If (FType <> 66), then (TyTxt=‘’)

0070

MkTxt

If (Make <> 666), then (MkTxt=‘’)

0071

MoTxt

If (Model <> 66666), then
(MoTxt=‘’)

If there is no crime relation, types of
crime should be Not Applicable
(88).
Enter other firearm type text only if
firearm type code is Other (66).
Enter other firearm make text only if
make or NCIC code is Other (666).
Enter other firearm model text only
if firearm model code is Other
(66666).

0072

Gauge, FType
Calib, FType

0074

ImpNm, Trace

0075

ImpCt, Trace

If (Trace=8), then (ImpCt=88)

If firearm is not a shotgun, gauge is
Not applicable (888).
If firearm is a shotgun, caliber is
Not applicable (8888).
If firearm was not recovered, this
variable is Not Applicable (88)
If firearm was not recovered, this
variable is Not applicable (88).

0

0073

If (Ftype=1–14 or 23,66,77,99),
then (Gauge=888)
If (FType=15–23 or 66, 77,99),
then (Calib=8888)
If (Trace=8), then (ImpNm=88)

0076

ImpSt, Trace

If (Trace=8), then (ImpSt=88)

0

0077

Fpurc

If (Fpurc=1), then (only 1 person
/weapon can be first purchaser)

If firearm was not recovered, this
variable is Not applicable (88).
Only one person can be coded as the
First purchaser of the firearm.

0078

Owner, Locked

If (Owner=1), then (Locked=8)

0

0079

Owner, Loaded

If (Owner=1), then (Loaded=8)

0080

Trace, FPSt

If (Trace=0,1,3,8, or 9), then
(FPSt=88)

If the gun user was the gun owner,
the “Gun stored locked” question
is Not applicable (8).
If the gun user was the gun owner,
the “Gun stored loaded” question
is Not applicable (8).
If the firearm was not traced, this
variable is Not applicable (88).

0063

0
0

0

0
0
0

0
0
0

0

0
0

19-5

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0081

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

Trace, FPSt

If (Trace=2), then (FPSt <> 8)

0

0082

Rela1, Rela2

If (Rela1=88 or Rela1=99), then
(Rela2=88)

0083

Rela1

If (Rela1 <> 88 and Rela1<> 99),
then (Rela1 <> Rela2)

0084

Age, AgeTyp,
Rela1, Rela2

If victim’s age 10 or 14

If the firearm was successfully
traced, the state of the importer
cannot be “Not applicable”.
If the first relationship is “Not
Applicable” or “Unknown”, the
second must be “Not applicable”.
Unless relationships are Not
applicable, the first relation must be
different from the second.
If the victim is younger than the
suspect, the victim cannot be the
parent or grandparent of the suspect.

0085

Age, AgeTyp,
Rela1, Rela2

If victim’s age >suspect’s age, then
(Rela1 and Rela2) <> 11, 13

If the victim is older than the
suspect, the victim cannot be the
child or grandchild of the suspect.

0

0086

Age, AgeTyp,
Rela1, Rela2

If victim’s age 16 or 19) and (Rela2
<> 16 or 19))

If the victim is younger than the
suspect, the specified relationship is
unlikely.

0

0087

Age, AgeTyp,
Rela1, Rela2

If victim’s age >suspect’s age then
((Rela1 <> 17 or 18) and (Rela2
<> 17 or 18))

If the victim is older than the
suspect, the specified relationship
is unlikely.

0

0088

Age, AgeTyp,
Rela2

If (AgeTyp >1) or (AgeTyp=1 and
Age <14)), then (Rela2 <> 1, 2, 3,
7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 19, and 51)

This relationship is unlikely for a
child under age 14.

0

0089

KCFR,
KResType

If (KCFR=0), then
(KResType=88)

If CFR is not available, then
victim’s primary residency should
be Not applicable (88).

0

0090

KCFR,
KResNew

If (KCFR=0), then (KResNew=8)

If CFR is not available, then ictim’s
new living situation should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0091

KResType,
KResNew

If (KResType=1), then
(KResNew=8)

0

0092

KAdult1,
KAdult2,
KAdult3,
KAdult4,
KResType
KAdult1,
KAdult2,
KAdult3,
KAdult4,
KCFR

If (KResType=4,5,6, or 7), then
((KAdult1=88) and (KAdult2=88)
and (KAdult3=88) and
(KAdult4=88))

If the primary residency is the
victim’s home, then the new living
situation should be Not applicable
(8).
If the primary residence of the
victim is not a home, then the
Household adults should be Not
applicable (88).

If (KCFR=0), then ((KAdult1=88)
and (KAdult2=88) and
(KAdult3=88) and (KAdult4=88))

If CFR is not available, then
Adults in the victim’s household
should be Not applicable (88).

0093

19-6

0
0
0

0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0094

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KKids,
KResType

If (KResType=3,4,5,6,
or 7), then (KKids=8)

If the primary residence of the
victim is not a home, then the other
children in the household should be
Not applicable (8).

0

0095

KCFR, KKids

If (KCFR=0), then (KKids=8)

If CFR is not available, then other
children in the victim’s household
should be Not applicable (8).

0

0096

KCFR, KDV

If (KCFR=0), then (KDV=8)

If CFR is not available, then
Intimate partner violence in the
victim’s household should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0097

KCFR, KSubs

If (KCFR=0), then (KSubs=8)

If CFR is not available, then
evidence of substance abuse in the
victim’s household should be Not
Applicable (8)

0

0098

KCFR,
KDVFos

If (KCFR=0), then (KDVFos=8)

If CFR is not available, then
Intimate partner violence in the
victim’s foster home should be
Not applicable (8).

0

0099

KDVFos,
KResType

If (KResType <> 2), then
(KDVFos=8)

If the primary residency of the
victim is not foster family home,
then Intimate partner violence in the
victim’s foster home should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0100

KCFR,
KSubsFos

If (KCFR=0), then (KSubsFos=8)

If CFR is not available, then
evidence of substance abuse in the
victim’s foster home should be
Not applicable (8).

0

0101

KResType,
KSubsFos

If (KResType <> 2), then
(KSubsFos=8)

0

0102

KCFR, Superv

If (KCFR=0), then
(KSuperv=8)

If the primary residency of the
victim is not foster family home,
then evidence of substance abuse in
the victim’s foster home should be
Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
quality of supervision that
contributed to the victim’s death
should be Not applicable (8).

0103

KCFR,
KSupRel

If (KCFR=0), then
(KSupRel=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
Supervisor’s relationship to the
victim should be Not applicable
(8).

0

0

19-7

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0104

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KSuperv,
KSupRel

If (KSuperv=1 or 2), then
(KSupRel <> 8)

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then Supervisor’s relationship to
the victim should be something
other than “Not applicable”.

0

0105

KSuperv,
KSupRel

If (KSuperv <> 1 and 2), then
(KSupRel=8)

If the quality of supervision did not
contribute to the victim’s death, then
Supervisor’s relationship to the
victim should be “Not applicable”.

0

0106

KCFR,
KSupAge

If (KCFR=0), then
(KSupAge=888)

If CFR is not available, then the
Supervisor’s age at the time of
incident should be Not applicable
(888).

0

0107

KSuperv,
KSupAge

If (KSuperv=1 or 2), then
(KSupAge <> 888)

0

0108

KSuperv,
KSupAge

If (KSuperv <> 1 and 2), then
(KSupAge=888)

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then Supervisor’s age should be
something other than “Not
applicable”.
If the quality of supervision did not
contribute to the victim’s death, then
Supervisor’s age should be “Not
applicable”.

0109

KCFR,
KSupSex

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupSex=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
Supervisor’s sex should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0110

KSupSex,
KSuperv

If (KSuperv <> 1 and 2), then
(KSupSex=8)

If the quality of supervision did not
contribute to the victim’s death, then
Supervisor’s sex should be “Not
applicable”.

0

0111

KSupSex,
KSuperv

If (KSuperv=1 and 2), then
(KSupSex<>8)

0

0112

KCFR,
KSupNo

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupNo=8)

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then Supervisor’s sex should be
something other than “Not
applicable.
If CFR is not available, then no
supervision present should be Not
applicable (8).

0113

KSuperv,
KSupNo

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupNo <>
8)

19-8

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then No supervision present should
be something other than “Not
applicable”.

0

0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0114

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KCFR,
KSupHaz

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupHaz=8)

0

0115

KSuperv,
KSupHaz

If (KSuperv=1), then
(KSupHaz<>8)

If CFR is not available, then the
supervisor’s failure to protect from
known hazard should be Not
applicable (8).
If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then the supervisor’s failure to
protect from known hazard should
be something other than “Not
applicable”.

0116

KCFR,
KSupDrug

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupDrug=8)

If CFR is not available, then
supervisor was drug-impaired
should be Not applicable (8).

0

0117

KSuperv,
KSupDrug

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupDrug
<> 8)

0

0118

KCFR,
KSupEtoh

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupEtoh=8)

0119

KSuperv,
KSupEtoh

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupEtoh
<> 8)

0120

KCFR,
KSupPsych

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupPsych=8)

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor was drug-impaired
should be something other than “Not
applicable”.
If CFR is not available, then
supervisor was alcohol-impaired
should be Not applicable (8).
If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor was alcoholimpaired should be something other
than “Not applicable”.
If CFR is not available, then
supervisor had mental illness should
be Not Applicable (8).

0121

KSuperv,
KSupPsych

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupPsych
<> 8)

0122

KCFR,
KSupMr

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupMr=8)

0123

KSuperv,
KSupMr

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupMr <>
8)

0124

KCFR,
KSupDis

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupDis=8)

0125

KSuperv,
KSupDis

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupDis <>
8)

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor had mental illness
should be something other than “Not
applicable”.
If CFR is not available, then
supervisor had mental retardation
should be Not applicable (8).
If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor had mental
retardation should be something
other than “Not applicable”.
If CFR is not available, then
supervisor had physical disability
should be Not applicable (8).
If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor had physical
disability should be something other
than “Not applicable”.

0

0
0

0

0

0

0

0
0

19-9

Validation Rules
Rule
#

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

0126

KCFR,
KSupBusy

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupBusy=8)

If CFR is not available, then
supervisor was distracted/
preoccupied should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0127

KSuperv,
KSupBusy

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupBusy
<> 8)

0

0128

KCFR,
KSupDoze

If (KCFR=0), then (KSupDoze=8)

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor was distracted/
preoccupied should be something
other than “Not applicable”.
If CFR is not available, then
supervisor was asleep should be
Not applicable (8).

0129

KSupDoze,
KSuperv

If (KSuperv=1), then (KSupDoze
<> 8)

0130

KCFR,
KIllness

If (KCFR=0), then (KIllness=8)

0131

KCFR, KIllTxt

If (KCFR=0), then (KIllTxt=8).

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s diagnosis for physical
illness should be Not applicable
(8).

0

0132

KCFR,
KDisable

If (KCFR=0), then (KDisable=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s disability at the time of
the incident should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0133

KCFR,
KDisPhy

If (KCFR=0), then (KDisPhy=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s physical disability
should be “Not applicable” (8).

0

0134

KDisable,
KDisPhy

If (KDisable <> 1), then
(KDisPhy=8)

If the victim was not disabled at the
time of the incident, then the
victim’s physical disability should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0135

KCFR,
KDisDev

If (KCFR=0), then (KDisDev=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s developmental disability
should be Not applicable (8).

0

0136

KDisable,
KDisDev

If (KDisable <> 1), then
(KDisDev=8)

If the victim was not disabled at the
time of the incident, then the
victim’s developmental disability
should be Not applicable (8).

0

19-10

If the quality of supervision
contributed to the victim’s death,
then supervisor was asleep and
should be something other than “Not
applicable”.
If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s physical illness should be
Not applicable (8).

0

0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

0137

KCFR,
KDisSens

If (KCFR=0), then (KDisSens=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s sensory disability should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0138

KDisable,
KDisDev

If (KDisable <> 1), then
(KDisSens=8)

0

0139

KCFR,
KPNSubs

If (KCFR=0), then (KPNSubs=8)

0140

Age,
KPNSubs

If (AgeTyp=1 and Age >1), then
(KPNSubs=8)

If the victim was not disabled at the
time of the incident, then the
victim’s sensory disability should be
Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s maternal recreational drug
use should be Not applicable (8).
If the victim is older than 1 year,
then the victim’s maternal
recreational drug use should be Not
applicable (8).

0141

KCFR,
KPNAlcoh

If (KCFR=0), then (KPNAlcoh=8)

0

0142

Age,
KPNAlcoh

If (AgeTyp=1 and Age >1), then
(KPNAlcoh=8)

0143

KCFR,
KPNTob

If (KCFR=0), then (KPNTob=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s maternal alcohol use should
be Not applicable (8).
If the victim is older than 1 year,
then the victim’s maternal alcohol
use should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s maternal tobacco use
should be Not applicable (8).

0144

Age,
KPNTob

If (AgeTyp=1 andAge>1), then
(KPNTob=8)

If the victim is older than 1 year,
then the victim’s maternal tobacco
use should be Not applicable (8).

0

0145

KCFR,
KPNCare

If (KCFR=0), then (KPNCare=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s mother’s prenatal care prior
to the 3rd trimester should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0146

Age,
KPNCare

If (AgeTyp=1 and Age >1),
then (KPNCare=8)

If the victim is older than 1 year,
then the victim’s mother’s prenatal
care prior to the 3rd trimester should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0147

KCFR,
KCPSRept

If (KCFR=0), then (KCPSRept=8)

If CFR is not available, then the CPS
report or referral filed on the
victim’s household prior to the
incident should be Not applicable
(8).

0

0
0

0
0

19-11

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0148

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KCFR,
KCPSRept,
KCPSWho

If (KCFR=0) or (KCPSRept <> 1),
then KCPSWho=8

If CFR is not available, then the
household member that the CPS
report was filed on should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0149

KCFR,
KCPSTrue

If (KCFR=0), then (KCPSTrue=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
report substantiation by CPS on the
victim’s household should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0150

KCPSRept,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSRept <> 1), then
(KCPSTrue=8)

0

0151

KCFR,
KCPSPhys

If (KCFR=0), then (KCPSPhys=8)

If the CPS report or referral filed on
the victim’s household prior to the
incident is something other than
“Yes” then the substantiation by
CPS of the report should be Not
applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the CPS
report substantiation of maltreatment
as physical abuse should be Not
applicable (8).

0152

KCPSRept,
KCPSPhys

If (KCPSRept <> 1), then
(KCPSPhys=8)

If the CPS report or referral filed on
the victim’s household prior to the
incident is something other than
“Yes” then the CPS report
substantiation of maltreatment as
physical abuse should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0153

KCPSPhys,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSTrue=1), then
(KCPSPhys <> 8)

0

0154

KCPSPhys,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSTrue <> 1), then
(KCPSPhys=8)

0155

KCFR,
KCPSSex

If (KCFR=0), then (KCPSSex=8)

If CPS substantiates the report or
referral; then the substantiation of
maltreatment as physical abuse
should be something other than Not
applicable (8).
If CPS does not substantiate the
report or referral; then the
substantiation of maltreatment as
physical abuse should be Not
applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the CPS
report substantiation of maltreatment
as sexual abuse should be Not
applicable (8).

0156

KCPSSex,
KCPSRept

If (KCPSRept <> 1), then
(KCPSSex=8)

19-12

If the CPS report or referral filed on
the victim’s household prior to the
incident is something other than
“Yes” then the CPS report
substantiation of maltreatment as
sexual abuse, should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0

0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0157

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KCPSSex,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSTrue=1), then
(KCPSSex <> 8)

If CPS substantiates the report or
referral; then the substantiation of
maltreatment as sexual abuse should
be something other than Not
applicable (8).

0

0158

KCPSSex,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSTrue <> 1), then
(KCPSSex=8)

If CPS substantiates the report or
referral; then the substantiation of
maltreatment as neglect should be
something other than Not applicable
(8).

0

0159

KCFR,
KCPSNeg

If (KCFR=0), then (KCPSNeg=8)

If CPS did not substantiate the
report or referral; then the
substantiation of maltreatment as
sexual abuse should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0160

KCPSNeg,
KCPSRept

If (KCPSRept <> 1), then
(KCPSNeg=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
CPS report substantiation of
maltreatment as neglect should be
Not applicable (8).

0

0161

KCPSNeg,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSTrue=1), then (KCPSNeg
<> 8)

If the CPS report or referral filed on
the victim’s household prior to the
incident is something other than
“Yes” then the CPS report
substantiation of maltreatment as
neglect should be Not applicable (8).

0

0162

KCPSNeg,
KCPSTrue

If (KCPSTrue <> 1), then
(KCPSNeg=8)

If CPS did not substantiate the
report or referral; then the
substantiation of maltreatment as
neglect should be Not applicable
(8).

0

0163

KCFR,
KCPSOpen

If (KCFR=0), then (KCPSOpen=8)

0

0164

KCFR,
KLawVict

If (KCFR=0), then (KLawVict=8)

If CFR is not available, then CPS
case opened on other children due to
this should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s contact with law
enforcement should be Not
applicable (8).

0165

KCFR,
KLawHous

If (KCFR=0), then (KLawHous=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
household’s contact with law
enforcement should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0166

KCFR, KJuv

If (KCFR=0), then (KJuv=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s contact with juvenile justice
system should be Not applicable (8).

0

0

19-13

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0167

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KCFR,
KHealth

If (KCFR=0), then (KHealth=8)

0

0168

KCFR,
KMedicaid

If (KCFR=0), then (KMedicaid=8)

0169

KCFR,
KMHServ

If (KCFR=0), then (KMHServ=8)

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s contact with healthcare
system should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s contact with Medicaid
should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s contact with mental health
services should be Not applicable
(8).

0170

KCFR,
KSocial

If (KCFR=0), then (KSocial=8)

0171

KCFR,
KWelfare

If (KCFR=0), then (KWelfare=8)

0172

KCFR, KWIC

If (KCFR=0), then (KWIC=8)

0173

KCFR,
KRecME

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecME=8)

0174

KCFR,
KRecCPS

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecCPS=8)

0175

KCFR,
KRecLaw

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecLaw=8)

0176

KCFR,
KRecEdu

(KCFR=0), then (KRecEdu=8)

0177

KCFR,
KRecEMS

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecEMS=8)

If CFR is not available, then EMS
Records were used to review
victim’s death should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0178

KCFR,
KRecMD

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecMD=8)

If CFR is not available, then
Health Provider/ Hospital
Records were used to review
victim’s death should be Not
applicable (8).

0

19-14

0
0

If CFR is not available, then the
victim or primary caregiver’s
contact with social services should
be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then the
primary caregiver’s contact with
welfare/financial assistance should
be Not applicable (8).

0

If CFR is not available, then the
victim’s contact with WIC should be
Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then
Coroner/Medical Examiner Records
were used to review victim’s death
should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then Social
Services/ Child Protective Services
Records were used to review
victim’s death should be Not
applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then
Police/Law Enforcement Records
were used to review victim’s death
should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then School
Records were used to review
victim’s death should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0

0

0

0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0179

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KCFR,
KRecDOH

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecDOH=8)

If CFR is not available, then Public
Health Department Records were
used to review victim’s death should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0180

KCFR,
KRecPsy

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecPsy=8)

If CFR is not available, then
Mental Health Records were used
to review victim’s death should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0181

KCFR,
KRecJuv

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecJuv=8)

If CFR is not available, then
Juvenile Justice Records/probation
were used to review victim’s death
should be Not applicable (8).

0

0182

KCFR,
KRecDC

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecDC=8)

If CFR is not available, then Death
Certificate Records were used to
review victim’s death should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0183

KCFR,
KRecOth

If (KCFR=0), then (KRecOth=8)

If CFR is not available, then other
records were used to review victim’s
death should be Not applicable (8).

0

0184

KRecOth,
KRecTxt

If (KRecOth=1), then (KRecTxt
<> ‘’)

0

0185

KCFR,
KConclud

If (KCFR=0), then (KConclud=8)

If other records were used to review
victim’s death, then the text field for
other records used should not be left
blank.
If CFR is not available, the CFRT
conclusions consistent with official
manner of death should
be Not applicable (8).

0186

KCFR,
KManner

If (KCFR=0), then (KManner=88)

0

0187

KConclud,
KManner

If (KConclud=0), then (KManner
<> 88)

0188

KConclud,
KManner

If (KConclud <> 0), then
(KManner=88)

0189

KManner,
KMannTxt

If (KManner=6), then (KMannTxt
<> ‘’)

If CFR is not available, then manner
of death CFRT designated should be
Not applicable (88).
If CFRT conclusions were not
consistent with official manner of
death, then CFRT designated
manner of death should
be something other than Not
applicable (88).
If CFRT conclusions were consistent
with official manner of death or
CFRT does not make this
comparison, then CFRT designated
manner of death should be Not
applicable (88).
If CFRT designated manner of death
is Other (6) then the text field for
other manner should not be left
blank.

0

0

0

0

19-15

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0190

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KAction,
KCFR

If (KCFR=0), then (KAction=8)

If CFR is not available, then any
action initiated to change the
officially designated manner should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0191

KAction,
KConclud

If (KConclud=0), then (KAction
<> 8)

0

0192

KAction,
KConclud

If (KConclud <> 0), then
(KAction=8)

0193

KCFR,
KResult

If (KCFR=0), then (KResult=8)

0194

KAction,
KConclud,
KResult

If (KConclud=0) and (KAction=1),
then (KResult <> 8)

0195

KAction,
KConclud,
KResult

If (KConclud=0) and (KAction <>
1), then (KResult =8)

0196

KCFR,
KPrevent

If (KCFR=0), then (KPrevent=8)

0197

KCFR,
GPerson1,
GPerson2
KCFR,
GPersID1,
GPersID2
GPersID1,
GPerson1,
GPersID2,
GPerson2

If (KCFR=0), then (GPerson1=8)
and (GPerson2=8)

If CFRT conclusions were not
consistent with official manner of
death, then any action initiated to
change the officially designated
manner should be something other
than Not applicable (8).
If CFRT conclusions were consistent
with official manner of death or
CFRT does not make this
comparison, then any action initiated
to change the officially designated
manner should be
Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then result
of any action initiated to change the
officially designated manner should
be Not applicable (8).
If CFRT conclusions were not
consistent with official manner of
death, and action was initiated to
change the officially designated
manner, then result of action should
be something other than Not
applicable (8).
If CFRT conclusions were not
consistent with official manner of
death, and action was not initiated to
change the officially designated
manner, then result of action should
be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then CFRT
conclude that the death was
preventable should be Not
applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then Primary
caregiver should be “Not applicable”
(8).
If CFR is not available, then Primary
caregiver ID should be
Not applicable (00000).
If Primary caregiver is neither a
suspect nor a victim in the incident,
then the Primary caregiver number
should be Not applicable (00000).

KCFR, GRel1,
GRel2

If (KCFR=0), then (GRel1=8) and
(GRel2=8)

0198
0199

0200

19-16

If (KCFR=0), then (GPersID1=0)
and (GPersID2=0)
If (GPerson1=0), then
(GPersID1=0); If (GPerson2=0),
then (GPersID2=0)

If CFR is not available, then the
relationship of the Primary caregiver
to the victim should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0201

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

KCFR,
GAge1,
GAge2
KCFR, GSex1,
GSex2

If (KCFR=0), then (GAge1=888)
and (GAge2=888)

0

0203

KCFR,
GCustody1,
GCustody2

If (KCFR=0), then (GCustody1=8)
and (GCustody2=8)

0204

KCFR,
GCAN1,
GCAN2

If (KCFR=0), then (GCAN1=8)
and (GCAN2=8)

0205

KCFR,
GDeath1,
GDeath2

If (KCFR=0), then (GDeath1=8)
and (GDeath2=8)

0206

ChldWit,
Witness

If (Witness=1), then (ChldWit <>
8)

If CFR is not available, then the
Primary caregiver’s age should be
Not applicable (888).
If CFR is not available, then the
Primary caregiver’s sex should be
Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then whether
the Primary caregiver had legal
custody of the victim should be
Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then whether
the Primary caregiver had
documented maltreatment of the
victim should be Not applicable (8).
If CFR is not available, then whether
the Primary caregiver had a previous
child die in their care
should be Not applicable (8).
If there is a witness to the fatal
incident, then the answer for “Any
child witnesses” should not be
“Not applicable”.

0207

ChldWit,
Witness

If (Witness=0), then (ChldWit=0)

0208

ChldWit,
Witness

If (Witness=9), then (ChldWit=9)

0209

BarAcsTr,
Mental

If (Mental <> 1), then
(BarAcsTr=8)

0210

BarAcsTr,
TxMent

If (TxMent=1), then (BarAcsTr=8)

0211

SArrest,
SusIdent

If (SusIdent <> 1), then
(SArrest=8)

If the suspect has not been identified
by name, then the suspect arrested as
perpetrator in this death should be
Not applicable (8).

0

0212

SArrest,
SusIdent

If (SusIdent =1), then (SArrest <>
8)

If the suspect has been identified
by name, then the suspect arrested
as perpetrator in this death should
not be Not applicable (8).

0

0213

SArrest,
SusChg

If (SArrest <> 1), then (SusChg=8)

If the suspect has not been arrested,
then suspect charged as perpetrator
in this death should be Not
applicable (8).

0

0202

If (KCFR=0), then (GSex1=8) and
(GSex2=8)

If there is no witness to the fatal
incident, then the selection for “Any
child witnesses” should be No (0).
If the witness to the fatal incident is
unknown, then the selection for
“Any child witnesses” should also
be Unknown (9).
If the victim’s mental history is “No,
Not applicable, Not collected or
Unknown” then Barriers to
accessing care should be Not
applicable (8).
If the victim has current treatment
for a mental problem, then Barriers
to accessing care should be Not
applicable (8).

0
0

0

0

0

0
0

0

0

19-17

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0214

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

SArrest,
SusChg

If (SArrest=1), then (SusChg <> 8)

0

0215

SusChg,
SusPros

If (SusChg<>1), then (SusPros=8)

0216

SusChg,
SusPros

If (SusChg =1), then (SusPros<>8)

0217

SConvict,
SusPros

If (SusPros<>1), then
(SConvict=8)

0218

SConvict,
SusPros

If (SusPros=1), then
(SConvict<>8)

0219

CPSRpFil,
SusIdent

If (SusIdent<>1), then
(CPSRpFil=8)

0220

SusIdent,
CPSRpFil

If (SusIdent=1), then
(CPSRpFil<>8)

If the suspect has been arrested, then
suspect charged as perpetrator in this
death should not be Not applicable
(8).
If the suspect has not been charged
as perpetrator in this death, then case
prosecuted should be “Not
Applicable” (8)
If the suspect has been charged as
perpetrator in this death, then case
prosecuted should not be “Not
Applicable” (8)
If the case has not been prosecuted,
then conviction should be “Not
Applicable” (8)
If the case has been prosecuted, then
conviction should not be “Not
Applicable” (8)
If the suspect has not been identified
by name, then “CPS report or
referral ever filed” should be “Not
Applicable” (8)
If the suspect has been identified by
name, then “CPS report or referral
ever filed” should not be “Not
Applicable” (8)

0221

SusPrHomi,
SusIdent

If (SusIdent<>1), then
(SusPrHomi =8)

0

0222

SusIdent,
SusPrHomi

If (SusIdent=1), then
(SusPrHomi <>8)

If the suspect has not been identified
by name, then the suspect ever
charged with a prior homicide
should be “Not Applicable” (8)
If the suspect has been identified by
name, then the suspect ever charged
with a prior homicide should not be
“Not Applicable” (8)

0223

Age, AgeTyp,
KFCR, PType

Warning If (PType=1 or 3) and
(AgeTyp=1 and Age <18) and
(KCFR=blank)

0224

AmphTs,
AmphRs

If (AmphTs=2) or (AmphTs=9),
then (AmphRs=8)

0225

AntiTs, AntiRs

If (AntiTs=2) or (AntiTs=9), then
(AntiRs=8)

0226

CokeTs,
CokeRs

If (CokeTs=2) or (CokeTs=9), then
(CokeRs=8)

0227

MarjTs,
MarjRs

If (MarjTs=2) or (MarjTs=9), then
(MarjRs=8)

19-18

One or more of the victims in this
incident is less than 18 years old. If
you are a state testing or using the
CFRT module, you should have
completed the CFRT module.
If an amphetamine test was not
performed, then test results should
be Not applicable (8).
If an antidepressant test was not
performed, then test results should
be Not applicable (8).
If a cocaine test was not performed,
then test results should be Not
applicable (8).
If a marijuana test was not
performed, then test results should
be Not applicable (8).

0

0

0
0
0

0

0

0

0

0
0
0

Validation Rules
Rule
#
0228

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

OpiaTs,
OpiaRs

If (OpiaTs=2) or (OpiaTs=9), then
(OpiaRs=8)

0

0229

OtDrTs,
OtDrRs

If (OtDrTs=2) or (OtDrTs=9), then
(OtDrRs=8)

0230

Calib, FType

If (Calib=9), then (FType=6)

0231

Calib, FType

If (Calib=25), then (FType=6)

0232

Calib, FType

If (Calib=380), then (FType=6)

0233

Calib, FType

If (Calib=40), then (FType=6)

0234

Calib, FType

If (Calib=45), then (FType=6)

0235

Calib, FType

If (Calib=762), then (FType=13)

0236

Calib, FType

If (Calib=32), then (FType=6 or 7)

0237

Calib, FType

If (Calib=357, 38, or 1000), then
(FType=7)

If an opiate test was not performed,
then test results should be Not
applicable (8).
If testing for any drugs was not
performed, then test results should
be Not applicable (8).
If the caliber of the firearm is 9 mm
the firearm type (FType) is most
likely semi-automatic pistol.
If the caliber of the firearm is 25 mm
the firearm type (FType) is most
likely semi-automatic pistol.
If the caliber of the firearm is 380
the firearm type (FType) is most
likely semi-automatic pistol.
If the caliber of the firearm is 40 the
firearm type (FType) is most likely
semi-automatic pistol.
If the caliber of the firearm is 45 the
firearm type (FType) is most likely
semi-automatic pistol.
If the caliber of the firearm is 762
the firearm type (FType) is most
likely semi-automatic rifle.
If the caliber is 32 Auto the firearm
type (FType) is likely a semiautomatic pistol, if the caliber is 32
S&W then the firearm type (FType)
is likely revolver.
If the caliber of the firearm is 357
or 38 the firearm type (FType) is
most likely revolver.

0238

Calib, FType

If (Calib=44), then (FType=7)

0

0239

Gauge, FType

0240

Make, FType

If (Gauge=10, 12, 16, 20, 28, 410,
666, or 999), then (FType=16–22)
If (Make=AMJ), then (FType=4)

If the caliber of the firearm is 44 the
firearm type (FType) is most likely
revolver. (Exception: IMI Desert
Eagle is a semi-automatic pistol.
If the firearm has a gauge, the
firearm type (FType) is shotgun.
American Derringer
manufactures primarily erringers.

0241

Make, FType

If (Make=CLT), then (FType=2–
7)

Colt manufactures primarily
handguns.

0

0242

Make, FType

If (Make=MAR), then (FType=8–
23)

Marlin manufactures primarily rifles
and shotguns.

0

0243

Make, FType

If (Make=MOS), then (FType=8–
23)

Mossberg manufactures primarily
rifles and shotguns.

0

0244

Make, FType

If (Make=SAV), then (FType=8–
23)

Savage manufactures primarily
rifles and shotguns.

0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0

0
0

19-19

Validation Rules
Rule
#

FieldList

Rule_Logic

Rule_Text

IsError

0245

Make, FType

If (Make=REM), then (FType=8–
23)

Remington manufactures primarily
rifles and shotguns.

0

0246

Make, FType

If (Make=WIN), then (Ftype=8–
23)

Winchester manufactures primarily
rifles and shotguns.

0

0247

Make, FType

If (Make=BRY), then (Ftype=6)

Bryco Arms manufactures primarily
semi-automatic pistols.

0

0248

Make, FType

If (Make=RAV). then (Ftype=6)

Raven Arms manufactures primarily
semi-automaic pistols.

0

0249

Make, FType

If (Make=PHE), then (FType=6)

Phoenix Arms manufactures
primarily semi-automatic pistols.

0

0250

Make, FType

If (Make=LCN). then (FType=6)

Lorcin Engineering manufactures
primarily semi-automatic pistols.

0

0251

Make, FType

If (Make=SIG), then (FType=6)

Sig Sauer manufactures primarily
semi-automatic pistols.

0

0252

Make, FType

If (Make=SW), then (FType=2–7)

Smith & Wesson manufactures
primarily semi-automatic pistols.

0

19-20

Index of Variable Labels
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

4th (character)

4th_ICD

4-16

4th (character)

Mult1001D4
through
Mult1020D4
5th_ICD

4-41

Mult1001D5
through
Mult1020D5
KAction

4-41
13-44

ResAddres

3-14

Age

3-8

AgeTyp

3-8

Alcohol problem

Alcoh

7-14

Alcohol test results

AlchRs

6-15

Intox

6-12

AmerIndian

3-11

AmphRs
AntiRs
CokeRs
MarjRs
OpiaRs
OtDrRs
Argue

6-21

Asian

Asian

3-11

At person’s home

Reside

6-5

Autopsy performed

Autpsy

4-21

BarAcsTr

13-47

Birth place

BthPlc

4-4

Black

Black

3-11

Blood alcohol concentration results

BAC

6-17

Brawl (mutual physical fight)

Brawl

8-21

Bullet recovered

Bullet

16-4

5th (character)
th

5 (character)
Action taken to change the official manner
Address
Age
Age unit

Alcohol use suspected
American Indian
Amphetamine test results
antidepressant
cocaine
marijuana
opiate
other substance
Argument over money/property/drugs

Barriers to accessing mental health care

4-16

8-10

I-1

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Bullet ricochet

Richo

9-17

Carbon monoxide source, if CO

COSrc

16-37

Caretaker of victim

CareTk

14-6

Cartr

16-11

Case Status

CaseStat

1-5

Casing recovered

CaseRem

16-4

CausIB

4-15

Celeb

9-7

CFRTxt

1-23

CFR conclusion matches Death Certificate

KConclud

13-44

CFR determination of preventability

KPrevent

13-44

KCFR

13-5

ChldWit

1-22

Circumstances known

Circ

7-3

Circumstances known

Circ

8-3

Circumstances known

Circ

9-3

City

Place

3-14

City of firearm first purchase

FpurPl

17-4

City of injury FIPS code

InjPlace

4-32

Cleaning gun

Clean

9-9

CME records

KRecME

13-42

Code for poison

PCode

16-23

Country

Countr

3-14

Country of birth if not listed

BthTxt

4-6

ResCounty

3-14

County

4-32

CPS case opened on other children due to this death

KCPSOpen

13-18

CPS report or referral ever filed on the suspect

CPSRepFil

13-25

Crisis in past two wks

Crisis

7-22

Current depressed mood

Depres

7-4

Cartridge specification

Cause leading to immediate cause text
Celebratory firing
CFR additional information

CFR records available on victim
Child witness(es) to fatal accident

County
County of injury

I-2

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Current mental health problem

Mental

7-6

Current occupation

Occup

6-9

Current treatment for mental illness

TxMent

7-10

Date entered data checked

DtChk

2-7

Date of birth

DOB

3-8

Date of death

DthDt

4-12

Date of firearm first purchase

FPDate

17-3

IDate

4-26

Date pronounced dead

PrncdDt

4-11

Date record abstracted/imported

DtAbst

2-7

Date record received

DtRecd

2-6

Date record requested/expected/sought

DtReqs

2-6

DtReReqs

2-6

SpcDt

6-14

DtSuper

1-13

DtReSuper

1-13

KRecDC

13-42

DthCrtNum

4-3

Death type

IncTyp

5-3

Disclosed intent to commit suicide

SuiInt

7-19

DocUnav

2-8

Document notes field

DocTxt

2-8

Document type

DocTyp

2-3

Dropped gun

DropGun

9-20

Drug involvement

Drug

8-16

Education

Educ

4-37

EMS at scene

EMS

6-6

EMS records

KRecEMS

13-42

Ever treated for mental illness

HistMental

7-12

Date of injury

Date record rerequested/re-searched
Date specimens were collected
Date supervisor checked incident
Date supervisor rechecked incident
Death Certificate
Death Certificate number

Document determined to be unavailable

I-3

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

FinProb

7-32

Firearm caliber

Calib

16-13

Firearm gauge

Gauge

16-13

Firearm importer’s city

ImpCt

17-7

Firearm importer’s name

ImpNm

17-6

Firearm importer’s state

ImpSt

17-7

FKnown

16-3

Firearm model

Model

16-9

Firearm model text

MoTxt

16-9

Firearm serial number

Serial

16-16

Firearm stolen

Stoln

16-17

Firearm trace attempted

Trace

16-18

Firearm type

FType

16-6

Fired while holstering/unholstering

Holst

9-19

Fired while operating safety/lock

Engag

9-21

First external cause of injury code from hospital

HECd9a

12-5

First name

FName

3-6

First other crime in progress

InProg

8-9

First purchaser

Fpurc

18-4

Gang related

Gang

8-18

Gun defect or malfunction

Defct

9-18

Toy

9-22

Gun Owner

Owner

16-19

Gun recovered

GunRec

16-4

Gun stored loaded

Loaded

16-20

Gun stored locked

Locked

16-20

Had a previous child die in his/her care

GDeath1/2

13-39

Had documented history of maltreating

GCAN1/2

13-39

GCustody1/2

13-39

Hate

8-20

Financial problem

Firearm information known

Gun mistaken for toy

Had legal custody of victim at time of death
Hate crime

I-4

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

KRecMD

13-42

Hispanic/Latino/Spanish

Ethnic

3-13

History of abuse

Abuse

14-7

HstPsyTr

13-47

History of suicide attempts

SuiHst

7-21

Homeless status

Homles

6-7

KLawHous2

13-21

Hunt

9-4

KManner

13-44

If yes, caregiver‘s ID in the incident

GPersID1/2

13-39

If yes, CPS report filed on whom

KCPSWho

13-14

If yes, disability was developmental

KDisDev2

13-8

If yes, disability was physical

KDisPhy2

13-8

If yes, disability was sensory

KDisSens2

13-8

If yes, report substantiated

KCPSTrue

13-14

If yes, specify diagnosis

KIllTxt

13-6

Immediate cause of death text

CausIA

4-15

IncID

1-3

Infants: Maternal alcohol use

KPNAlcoh

13-11

Infants: Maternal recreational drug use

KPNSubs

13-11

Infants: Maternal tobacco use

KPNTob

13-11

Infants: Prenatal care prior to the 3rd trimester

KPNCare

13-10

Infants: Victim born prematurely

KPNPrem

13-13

Injured at work

AtWork

4-30

Intimate partner problem

IPProb

7-26

KDVFos

13-32

Intimate partner violence in victim‘s household

KDV

13-32

Intimate partner violence related

IPV

8-12

Jealous

8-11

Job

7-30

Health Provider/Hospital records

History of inpatient psychiatric treatment

Household‘s contact with police
Hunting
If no, manner the CFR designated

Incident ID

Intimate partner violence in victim‘s foster home

Jealousy (lovers’ triangle)
Job problem

I-5

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Defens

8-25

KRecJuv

13-42

Kind of business/industry code

Indust

4-39

Last name

LName

3-6

Length of time in residence

KResTime

13-28

Loading/unloading gun

LoadGun

9-8

Make

16-8

Manner of death

Manner

4-24

Marital relationship of victim’s biological parents

KMarital

13-31

Marital status

MarStat

4-8

Mental Health Records

KRecPsy

13-42

Mercy killing

Mercy

8-30

Middle name

MName

3-6

Mult1001
through
Mult1020
PoisonTxt

4-41
16-23

Narrative of the incident

IncNarr

1-16

Nature of first other crime

NtCrm1

8-6

Nature of second other crime

NtCrm2

8-6

KCPSNeg

13-16

Next antecedent cause of death text

CausIC

4-15

No supervision

KSupNo

13-36

Number of bullets that hit victim

NumBul

6-23

NumInjure

1-15

Number of persons in incident

NumPersons

1-7

Number of person-weapon relationship records in incident

NumPWRels

1-12

Number of source documents in incident

NumSrDocs

1-6

Number of victim-suspect relationship records in incident

NumVSRels

1-11

NumWeapons

1-9

NumWou

6-23

Justifiable self defense/law enforcement
Juvenile Justice records

Make or NCIC code

Multiple conditions codes 1-20
Name of poison

Neglect substantiated

Number of nonfatally shot persons in incident

Number of weapons in incident
Number of wounds

I-6

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

OldEduc

4-37

OtherRace

3-11

Other argument, abuse, conflict

OthArg

8-14

Other children <18 years in household

KKids

13-28

Other context of injury

OtherAcc

9-12

Other death of friend or family

FamDeath

7-34

Other firearm make text

MkTxt

16-8

Other firearm type text

TyTxt

16-6

Other homicide circumstance:
Mentally ill suspect
Random violence
Drive-by shooting
Other
Other legal problems

Other

8-31

Legal

7-38

Other mechanism of injury

FOth

9-23

Other mental health diagnosis

MenTxt

7-8

Other records

KRecOth

13-42

Other relationship problem

Relat

7-28

Other substance problem

Subst

7-16

SuiOth

7-41

KSupOther

13-36

Other weapon information

OthWeap

15-5

Pacific Islander

PacIsland

3-11

Patient drug obtained for

Patnt

16-35

Perpetrator of interpersonal violence past month

PIPV

7-39

KSupPerp

13-36

Suic

6-3

Person left a suicide note

SNote

7-18

Person lived with victim

GCohabit1/2

13-39

Person type

PType

3-3

Person used this weapon to kill

WUser

18-3

Number years education
Other

Other suicide circumstance
Other supervisory factor

Perpetrator was supervisor
Person attempted suicide during incident

I-7

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Preg

4-22

UserID

2-3

Sex

3-10

KCPSPhys

13-16

Health

7-24

Place of death

Dthplace

4-9

Place of death if other

PDthTx

4-9

Play

9-11

KRecLaw

13-42

Crime

8-4

Primary caregiver is a victim or suspect in the incident

GPerson1/2

13-39

Primary caregiver on welfare/financial assistance

KWelfare2

13-24

Primary caregiver’s age at time of incident

GAge1/2

13-39

Primary caregiver’s sex

GSex1/2

13-39

Prior CPS report on the victim‘s household

KCPSRept

13-14

Public Health Department records

KRecDOH

13-42

KSuperv

13-36

Reabstraction from data year

ReabstractYr

1-24

Reabstraction of incident number

ReabstractInc

1-24

Recent criminal legal problem

RecCrm

7-36

Relationship to victim

GRel1/2

13-39

Result of action

KResult

13-44

School problem

School

7-31

School records

KRecEdu

13-42

Second external cause of injury code from hospital

HECd9b

12-5

Self-defensive shooting

SelfDef

9-6

KCPSSex

13-16

Showing gun to others

Show

9-10

SHR circumstance

SCirc

11-3

SHR homicide type

HomTyp

11-6

Person was pregnant
Person who entered record
Person’s sex
Physical abuse substantiated
Physical health problem

Playing with gun
Police/Law Enforcement records
Precipitated by another crime

Quality of supervision a factor

Sexual abuse substantiated

I-8

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

JustSCirc

11-7

SHR situation

Situat

11-5

Site ID

SiteID

1-3

SSN

3-7

SrAgen

2-5

AgenNum

2-5

Specific person suspected

SusIdent

13-25

Specify (what other records)

KRecTxt

13-42

SS/CPS records

KRecCPS

13-42

State

ResState

3-14

State of death

DthState

4-13

FPSt

17-4

InjState

4-32

Street and number of injury site

InjAddres

4-32

Substance abuse in victim‘s foster home

KSubsFos

13-34

Substance abuse in victim‘s household

KSubs

13-34

Suicide of friend or family in past five years

RecSui

7-33

Supervisor distracted or asleep

KSupBusy

13-36

Supervisor note field

SuperTxt

1-14

Supervisor’s age

KSupAge

13-36

Supervisor’s relationship to victim

KSupRel

13-36

Supervisor’s sex

KSupSex

13-36

Surpervisor drug/alcohol impaired

KSupDrug

13-36

Survival time no. of units

Surviv

4-35

Suspect arrested as perp in this death

SArrest

13-25

Suspect charged as perp in this death

SusChg

13-25

Suspect convicted

SConvict

13-25

Suspect convicted of original charge

SOriginal

13-25

SusPrHomi

13-25

SusPros

13-25

SHR justifiable homicide circumstance

Social Security #
Source agency requested from
Source agency’s internal record number

State of firearm first purchase
State of injury FIPS code

Suspect ever charged with a prior homicide
Suspect prosecuted

I-9

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

PsyMed

13-47

Target shooting

Miss

9-5

Terrorist attack

Terror

8-22

Testing for alcohol

AlchTs

6-15

AmphTs
AntiTs
CokeTs
MarjTs
OpiaTs
OtDrTs
KMannTxt

6-19

13-44

Thought gun was unloaded, other

Unloa

9-15

Thought safety was engaged

Safety

9-13

Thought unloaded, magazine disengaged

UnlMg

9-14

Time of injury

ITime

4-26

Time specimens were collected

SpcTme

6-14

Type of first mental illness diagnosis

MDiag1

7-8

Type of location where injured

LocTyp

4-28

Type of other substance

OthDrg

6-21

Type of poison

Poison

16-22

KResType

13-28

Type of second mental illness diagnosis

MDiag2

7-8

Underlying cause of death code

ICD_10

4-16

Underlying cause of death text

CausID

4-15

Unintentionally pulled trigger

Pull

9-16

Unit of time used in survival time

Sunit

4-35

KAdultUn

13-28

Unsepecified

3-11

US Census block group

CensBl

3-14

US Census block group of injury

CnsBlk

4-32

US Census tract

CensSt

3-14

US Census tract of injury

CnsTrt

4-32

Taking psychiatric medication at time of death

Testing for amphetamines
antidepressants
cocaine
marijuana
opiates
other substances
Text to specify other manner

Type of residence where victim lived

Unrelated adult living in victim’s household
Unspecified

I-10

Index
Variable Label

Variable Name

Page

Usual industry text

IndTxt

4-39

Usual occupation code

UsuOcc

4-39

Usual occupation text

UsOcTx

4-39

Veteran status

Vetran

4-7

Victim admitted to inpatient care

Hosp

12-4

Victim contact with juvenile justice system

KJuv2

13-19

Victim contact with mental health services

KMHServ2

13-19

Victim contact with police

KLawVict2

13-19

Victim contact with the health care system

KHealth2

13-19

Victim had a physical illness at time of incident

KIllness2

13-6

Victim had disability at time of incident

KDisable2

13-8

Victim in custody when injured

Custody

6-10

Victim of interpersonal violence past month

PIPVVict

7-40

Victim seen in ED

EmDep

12-3

Victim to suspect relationship

SRelat

14-8

Victim to suspect relationship 1

Rela1

14-3

Victim to suspect relationship 2

Rela2

14-3

UsedWeap

8-27

Victim was a bystander

Bystd

8-23

Victim was a police officer on duty

PolOff

8-24

Victim was intervener assisting crime victim

Interv

8-29

KMedicaid2

13-22

Victim/primary caregiver contact with social services

KSocial2

13-22

Victim/primary caregiver contact with WIC

KWIC2

13-22

WusedOn

18-3

Weapon type

Wtype

15-3

White

White

3-11

Witness

1-21

Victim used weapon

Victim/primary caregiver contact with Medicaid

Weapon killed this person

Witness(es) to fatal incident

I-11

Index
Variable Label
Wound to the head
face
neck
upper extremity
spine
thorax
abdomen
lower extremity
Youth gun access narrative
ZIP code
ZIP code of injury

I-12

Variable Name

Page

Head
Face
Neck
UpExt
Spine
Thorax
Abdomn
LowExt
YthNarr

6-23

16-21

ResZip

3-14

Zip

6-4