DENVER — At least 94 people died from domestic violence in Colorado in 2022, the most deaths the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board has ever recorded.
"It's shocking, but unfortunately it's not surprising," said Soledad Diaz, the Public Policy Director of Violence Free Colorado.
The Review Board started in 2016, so its data only goes back a handful of years.
"This report is not something we can be confident is the whole picture, but we can be confident that we've identified more domestic violence fatalities than last year, and that any domestic violence fatality is too many," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said.
Here is the number of domestic violence deaths the board has recorded per year:
2016: 58
2017: 40
2018: 43
2019: 70
2020: 63
2021: 92
2022: 94
Diaz said the 2022 report captures what she is seeing.
“We have seen an increase in cases, but also we’ve seen an increase in the severity of cases," Diaz said.
Here are the counties that had the most deaths:
El Paso: 20 deaths
Adams: 17 deaths
Arapahoe: 14 deaths
Denver: 11 deaths
The victims ranged from 8 months to 80 years old. In 2022, 86% of the victims died from a gun.
“If there’s one step that I could make sure Colorado did to save lives, it would be to make sure we removed firearms from people who we know are a danger to commit domestic violence," Weiser said.
"We absolutely agree with that," Diaz said.
The board recommends incorporating the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to support local law enforcement in pursuing firearm relinquishments.
Diaz said housing remains a huge concern for victims of domestic violence, because they may need to choose between homelessness or staying in an abusive relationship.
"Housing for us is a priority right now. How do we provide resources to increase the safety of someone looking to leave an abusive relationship," Diaz said.
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