Although Allegheny County’s 2007 homicide rate was, at one point, on pace to surpass the record number recorded in 2003, the final tally showed only a slight overall increase from last year.

While that might be cause for relief in some circles, in the Black community there was no relief as African-Americans again made up the majority of murder victims.

Of the year’s 98 victims, 80, or 83 percent, were Black. That represents a 2 percent increase from 2006, when Blacks accounted for 77 of 95 homicide victims countywide. Only seven of the Black victims countywide were female.

The numbers become even more stark when looking only at the city of Pittsburgh, which accounted for the bulk of the killings with 57. Of these victims, 55 were African-Americans. That’s 96 percent.

Inside the statistics:

•The first victim of the year—Zander Pittrell, 23, Black male, killed in Wilkinsburg;

•The last victim of the year—Robert Smith, 68, Black male, killed in the West End;

•The youngest victim, 6-month-old Lexi Tucker, Black female, killed in Homewood, and •The oldest victim, 86-year-old Edward Loggins, Black male, killed in Baldwin.

Of the 55 African-Americans slain in Pittsburgh, 15 were killed in Homewood. Of the remaining victims, eight were killed on the North Side, seven were killed in the Hill District, three in the West End, two Downtown, two in Garfield, two in Knoxville, two in Larimer, two in Lawrenceville and two in Uptown.

Allentown, Arlington, Beechview, Beltzhoover, Bloomfield, Brookline, Highland Park, East Liberty, Oakland and Sheraden had one murder victim each.

Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki said his city figure is actually higher because it includes the five children killed in the Winslow Street fire that were left home alone by their mothers.

The city also counted John Blackwell, a 75-year-old Black male critically injured in an arson fire in December 2006, but who did not die until Jan. 14, and Marva Howard, a 39-year-old Black female whose dismembered body was discovered in a wooded area of Point Breeze.

“The county may not include them because the coroner’s office may not have ruled them homicides,” said Stangrecki.

Stangrecki said suspects have been identified or arrested in 41 of the 64 cases it counted as homicides. He said while some killings were drug related, more stemmed from ongoing neighborhood feuds.

“In general, most people are very cooperative in these cases. Unfortunately, sometimes we need others to come forward with direct knowledge,” he said. “That can be a roadblock. In cases when victims survive, they aren’t always interested in having the police do anything—they want to do it themselves.”

(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)