Missouri has the highest Black homicide victimization rate in the nation with a rate of 46.24 per 100,000, which is nearly two and half times the national Black homicide victimization rate and 10 times the overall homicide rate nationwide, according to a new analysis by the Violence Policy Center.

There’s something to be said for homicides of Blacks in the Midwest with Oklahoma coming in 3rd with a rate of 30.10 per 100,000 and Kansas at 9th with a rate of 25.02 per 100,000.

In 2015, the national Black homicide victimization rate was 18.68 per 100,000, and the overall national homicide victimization rate was 4.62 per 100,000. Nationwide, 86% of Black homicide victims were killed with guns.

“Each day in America, the number of Black homicide victims exceeds the toll in the Parkland, Florida mass shooting. And just like Parkland and other mass shootings, these deaths devastate families, traumatize whole communities, and should provoke an outcry for change. The devastating and disproportionate impact homicide, almost always involving a gun, has on Black men, boys, women, and girls in America is an ongoing national crisis. We hope our research will help educate the public and policymakers, spur action, and aid community leaders already working to end this grave injustice,” states VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann.

The annual study, Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2015 Homicide Data, based on unpublished data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Supplementary Homicide Report. The study details homicide rates for 2015, the most recent year for which comprehensive national data is available. This is the 12th year the Violence Policy Center has released the study.

For the entire United States, the study finds that in 2015:

•There were 7,014 Black homicide victims in the United States that year. Blacks represented 13% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for 51% of all homicide victims.

•The Black homicide victimization rate in the United States was 18.68 per 100,000. In comparison, the overall national homicide victimization rate was 4.62 per 100,000. For Whites, the national homicide victimization rate was 2.67 per 100,000.

•Of the 7,014 Black homicide victims, 6,152 were male and 862 were female. The homicide victimization rate for Black male victims was 34.21 per 100,000. The homicide victimization rate for Black female victims was 4.41 per 100,000.

•For homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 86% of Black victims (5,756 out of 6,716) were shot and killed with guns. Of these, 71% (4,062 victims) were killed with handguns.

•For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 75% of Black victims (2,211 out of 2,933) were killed by someone they knew. The number of victims killed by strangers was 722.

•For homicides in which the circumstances could be identified, 70% (2,829 out of 4,033) were not related to the commission of any other felony. Of these, 51% (1,432 homicides) involved arguments between the victim and the offender.

The FBI data includes incidents reported as justifiable homicides of Black victims killed by law enforcement. Nationwide, there were 121 such incidents reported in 2015.