The murder rate for black juveniles has declined far more sharply than for Latino youths over the past decade — possibly highlighting racial differences in the behavior of street gang members, experts said Thursday.

The Chicago Police Department studied the killings of juveniles between 1991 and 2004, finding the murder rate steadily fell for African Americans under age 20.

For black youths between ages 17 and 19, for instance, the rate was above 150 per 100,000 in 1991 and below 100 per 100,000 in 2004, the study showed.

In the Hispanic community there were….more