OAKLAND - Ninety-four homicide victims were added to Oakland's roster of the dead in 2005.

The tally was six more than in 2004, but the faces of both victims and suspects changed little from previous years, and neither did the reasons and attempts to explain why people kill.

As upsetting as the deaths are for relatives and friends of the victims, more sobering is why police believe some suspects are more apt to pull a trigger or thrust a knife, beyond the traditional reasons of poverty, social breakdown and greed.

Most -- 29 -- of 51 arrested suspects in 2005 were 18 to 25 years old. Veteran officers said many lacked morals and were simply trying to make names for themselves by exhibiting violent behavior they learned from others.

``The biggest problem we have is their behavior didn't start (recently),'' said homicide unit commander Lt. Jim Emery. ``It started years ago when these young guys were developing, and it got to the point today where they feel it's all right to kill somebody. They don't value life, some of these young guys.''

Another factor is, according to Emery, is that many murder suspects have a criminal record and either were on probation or parole when they killed someone. If they had received longer prison time, some killings might not have happened, he said. Of the known suspects in 2005 killings, more than 30 were on parole or probation.

Officer

Jason Andersen, who works as a field investigator for the homicide unit, has arrested more than 30 murder suspects in his 15-year career, most of them 18 to 25 years old.

He believes drug use -- especially Ecstasy -- peer pressure and exposure to violence, both personally witnessed or seen in the media, play a role in a killer's makeup.

That and a lack of positive upbringing and no respect for authority, whether it be law enforcement, parents or teachers.

``Some of these kids are pretty much raising themselves and learning on the street,'' Andersen said. ``They're trying to make names for themselves.''

Retired Officer Margaret Dixon, who headed the department's Police Activities League program for many years and still volunteers there, has been a mentor to thousands of young people.

She agrees younger, violent offenders are usually exhibiting ``behavior that is learned,'' whether from family members or others. ``They are doing what they have been seeing. No one has intervened.''

The young people she had dealt with, including some who have had brushes with law enforcement, ``want to do better. But they also want to be accepted and to some this violence is acceptable behavior. "We have to change that mindset.''

Of the 2005 victims, 88 were men and six were women. Sixty-two were African American, 25 Latino, four Asian, one Caucasian, one Samoan and one Middle Eastern.

Eighty victims died from a gunshot. Knives or some other cutting weapon killed another 12. One victim was beaten to death and one was literally scared to death when robbers denied him his heart pills.

The races of the all 74 known suspects(including those not arrested) generally mirror that of victims: Fifty-seven were black, 13 Latino and four Asian. At least 42 suspects were 18 to 30 years old.

Some of those slain were innocent, random victims who had no idea who their killers were. Some were the intended target who had known their killers for years.

Their last breaths were taken mostly on a sidewalk or street, but some died in their homes, in a car or at a business. Good neighborhoods, not-so-good neighborhoods -- slaying sites spanned the city.

Last year's higher homicide tally was mainly because of increases in three categories. Robbery-related killings went from five in 2004 to 11 in 2005, gang killings from three to nine, and domestic violence slayings from two to five, although one was deemed self-defense and the suspect not charged. There were no child abuse murders in 2005 compared to three in 2004, and there have been none so far in 2006.

Argument-related killings dropped from 25 in 2004 to 16 in 2005. But some of the incidents that ignited the deadly disputes were as inconceivable as in past years, involving a minor traffic accident, staring too much at an attractive woman and deciding what TV channel to watch.

Some say fewer police officers on the street -- there are about 100 vacancies in the police department -- played a role. That may have contributed, but there were some cases where people were killed moments after an officer drove by, making investigators wonder whether the killer would have eventually gotten his target anyway.

The increase from 88 to 94 murders was not much by itself. But because there were 13 homicides in December alone and 39 more so far this year -- a number that was not reached until July 2005 -- people are concerned a triple-digit finish is possible for 2006.

So far, 2006's high number can be attributed to at least six gang-related killings, at least five retaliation or revenge slayings, and five with some kind of drug link.

To deal with the rising homicide rate and ominous double-digit percentage increases in robberies and assaults, police have increased the number of officers on the streets -- more than 100 now work weekend shifts where crime is more prevalent -- and redeployed them more effectively.

Chief Wayne Tucker said victim and suspect patterns are being analyzed to gain useful prevention information and Oakland officers are talking to other cities to see how they are combating rises in crime.

Since drugs play a huge role in most crimes, that will be an enforcement focus as will added ``targeting of people with a history of violence and an inclination to be violent,'' Tucker said.

Dixon believes preventive approaches will help lower the homicide rate. She said young people need to be reached as early as possible to turn them away from a life of crime, to show them they can succeed in a different environment.

Voter passage of Measure Y has made money available for intervention and other programs not only for young people but others at risk, including ex-convicts trying to stay out of trouble.

Dixon is optimistic such programs can have an impact. But they have to be something young people will participate in and their input should be sought.

``As adults, we put out what we think they want, but they might not, so we have to find out what they want to do. We have to let them know they can do better, they can be better. They just need a chance.''

Making participants feel safe is also important. Some of the youngsters she has talked to are reluctant to go to parts of the city where they don't live because they are fearful of violence they have heard about, whether real or embellished.

``What good is the money if the programs aren't used?'' Dixon said.

Correspondent Veronica Martinez contributed to this report.