Firearm Deaths by Law Enforcement

Abstract

The use of deadly force during law enforcement is a matter that compels public scrutiny. There were 42 gunshot deaths caused by police over a 4-year period in New York City. The decedents' average age was 31 years and ranged from 17 to 64 years. There were 41 males and one female; and 26 Black, nine Hispanic, and seven White decedents. Ethanol and/or drugs of abuse were detected in 78% (31/40) of the decedents. The vast majority of shootings occurred with the police responding to a crime and 90% of the decedents were armed (26 handguns, six knives, one axe, one metal pipe, and one toy gun). Vehicles were used as weapons in two incidents. A total of 177 bullets struck the 42 decedents. Fourteen decedents sustained single gunshot wounds (GSWs), and the remainder had multiple GSWs ranging from 2 to 21. In the majority of the cases in this study, the number of GSWs of the body was three or fewer. Thirteen decedents had at least one GSW of the back or buttocks, accounting for 25 of the total 177 wounds, and four of the 13 had GSWs of only the back. With the exception of the upper extremities, GSWs of all locations were more likely to penetrate than perforate. Although these deaths may be high profile, the certification is typically straightforward and the cause (i.e., GSW) and manner of death (homicide) are readily apparent. Although police shootings in which the decedent was unarmed and/or sustained numerous GSWs are widely reported by the lay press, these types of shootings were not typical in our study.

Trends in Officer‐involved Firearm Deaths in Oklahoma from 2000 to 2015

“…This was followed by the extremities (35%) and then by the head/neck regions (15%). Similar results were again seen in New York City, with the most gunshot wounds occurring in the torso (50%), followed by the extremities (38%), the head and neck (10%), and the remainder of unknown location . The study conducted in Portugal also found the thorax or abdomen to be the most severely injured body region (59%) .…”

“…There were 177 gunshot wounds identified; most common were single gunshot wounds (33%), and the maximum number of gunshot wounds in a single decedent was 21. Half of the gunshot wounds were in the torso, and 38% were in the extremities .…”

“…Within the civilian decedents, 34% tested positive for ethanol, and 32% had a positive ELISA screening for one or more substances. These results are slightly higher than that seen in civilian decedents in Victoria, Australia (24% under the influence of alcohol and 27% under the influence of drugs) , and when combined, these results are lower than that seen in civilian decedents in New York City (78% detected ethanol and/or drugs) . Limitations of the toxicology testing results in the current study include differences in testing practices across the 16‐year period studied, as well as differences in what testing was requested by the pathologist of record.…”

Homicidal firearm injuries: a study from Sri Lanka

“…A study performed on victims of police shootings in New York showed that 28 out of 42 victims suffered 2 or more entry wounds. Use of semi-automatic pistols and the involvement of multiple officers are the explanations offered [22]. No comment can be made about armed forces shooting of terrorists, since those deaths were not examined in Colombo.…”

Analysis of Fatal Police Shootings

“…The vast majority of decedents were male, and the average age was 32, corresponding to those in other fatal use of force studies (Gill & Pasquale-Styles, 2009). Findings suggest that these fatal incidents are likely to be unplanned police operations effected by general duties police.…”