NYC’s shocking rate of child homicides

Nearly a third of the children who died of injuries in New York between 2010 and 2014 were murdered, according to a shocking new analysis by the city’s Health Department.

Even more appalling is the fact that almost half of the kids 2 years old or younger were homicide victims.

The study released Friday by the city’s Health Department looks at the deaths of injured youngsters 1 to 12 years old.

And things do not appear to have gotten much better. Over the past few years, the city has been shocked by more child killings, including the brutal murder of 6-year-old Harlem boy Zymere Perkins in September, allegedly at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend.

Child-abuse-related killings ac- counted for 31 percent of the deaths of kids in the years covered by the study.

Some 53 percent were “unintentional’’ — such as deaths due to car accidents or fires.

Suicides accounted for 27 percent of deaths among kids between the ages of 9 an 12.

The cause of death couldn’t be determined in 10 other cases.

The disparity was greatest among 1- and 2-year-old toddlers — with death rates for blacks more than three times higher than for whites, Hispanics and Asians.

“The continued excess rates in communities of color and among children living in poverty are unacceptable,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett.

The deaths from injury were higher among boys than girls — 116 cases to 79.

The Administration for Children’s Services has come under fire for years for failing to properly track suspected child-abuse cases.

Overall, the study found 195 injury-related deaths among kids 12 and younger.

Of the total, 61 — or 31 percent — were homicides.

About half of the deaths — 104 — were “unintentional.’’

Black children and kids in highpoverty neighborhoods had the highest death rates.

“While deaths among the children are rare in New York City, any death of a child is a tragedy,” said Bassett.

The continued excess [death] rates in communities of color and among children living in poverty are unacceptable. — Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett