Raleigh, NC-- The fight continues to reduce and eradicate deaths from domestic violence especially in North Carolina. And, the state's top cop has vowed to do as much as possible to prevent these senseless deaths.

Monday, the NC Attorney General's Office released its annual Domestic Violence Homicide Report. The report states that 106 North Carolinians lost their lives in domestic violence murders in 2011.

It's a decrease of one from the previous year, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced. "Domestic violence is dangerous crime that too often turns deadly," Cooper said. "North Carolina must do more to get help to domestic violence victims before they become murder victims."

Under a state law enacted in 2007, law enforcement agencies are required to report domestic violence related homicides yearly to the State Bureau of Investigation. This is the fourth year that statewide statistics have been reported.

Deaths By The Numbers: Of the 106 murders, 68 of the victims were female and 38 were male. The murders were committed by 81 male offenders and 25 female offenders.

13 of the 106 victims had taken out protective orders and six of the protective orders were current when the victims were murdered. One of the offenders was reported to be on pre-trial release for a domestic violence crime when the murder was committed.

County by County: Top 2

Mecklenburg County - 12

Durham County -  10

Other counties with five or more domestic violence murders reported include:

Guilford County - 7

Forsyth County - 6

Buncombe County - 5

Cumberland County - 5

Read Attorney General's Report Here

NC Attorney General's Office