Introduction:

Lethal violence is characterized as fatal events that generate a large number of victims. Men emerge as protagonists in the scene of homicides and suicides, events that have an impact on the entire population.

Objective:

To evaluate the profile of deaths by homicides and suicides among the male population in the hinterland region of Pernambuco (Brazil) between 2015 and 2016.

Materials and methods:

Quantitative descriptive and inferential study, developed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Petrolina, Pernambuco, using the records of male homicides and suicides that occurred in 2015 and 2016.

Results:

The variables age, marital status, area and place of occurrence, instruments used, and anatomical basis of the injury showed an association with homicide and suicide cases. This profile reveals that the most common victims of homicides and suicides in the studied region are single adults, whose death occurred on public roads, in cases of homicides, or at home, in suicides. In both causes of death, victims presented serious injuries.

Conclusions:

Male population should be considered a heterogeneous group with particular characteristics when formulating public policies aimed at lethal violence prevention. The need to develop adequate approaches for supporting the confrontation of these types of deaths becomes evident.

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