Blacks fill list of shooting victims in Chattanooga

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BY THE NUMBERSShooting victims 18 or younger in crimes in Chattanooga2005: 12 (10 black, 2 white)2006: 11 (9 black, 1 white 1 unknown)2007: 11 (10 black, 1 white)2008: 21 (all black)2009: 18 (all black)2010: 23 (22 black, 1 white)2011: 17 (all black)2012 to date: 8 (all black)Source: Chattanooga Police DepartmentPeople treated at Erlanger for gunshot wounds to the head2007: 172008: 252009: 232010: 28Source: Erlanger hospital

Keoshia Ford is one of eight children 18 or younger in Chattanooga who have been shot this year as the result of a crime, according to police records. All are black.

That's no surprise, according to a study on race disparities in firearms injuries and outcomes among Tennessee children. The study was released this year by Vanderbilt University.

Originally published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, the study looked at 188 cases in Middle Tennessee. While 58 percent of those injured were white, blacks were over-represented by 21/2 times, the report said. Sixty-seven injuries were the result of assaults, and the median age was 13.

The study also revealed that black children are four times more likely than white children to die after being shot.

"Potential reasons for these disparate outcomes after trauma include poor pre-injury health status, decreased access to routine preventive care, cultural beliefs and health care provider biases," the study states. "Another important risk factor is that most black children live in urban settings where the incidence of violent crime is higher, thus rendering these vulnerable children as victims of their environment."

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