Behind every stark statistic lies a name, a story, and a devastating truth: the persistent and disproportionate killing of Black men by police in America is a national crisis demanding an unwavering reckoning.
Key Takeaways
- From 2015 to 2023, 2,847 Black men were killed by police shootings in the US, comprising 24.5% of all fatal police shootings.
- In 2015, 347 Black men were fatally shot by police nationwide.
- In 2016, 309 Black men died from police gunfire across the United States.
- Black men aged 20-29 accounted for 1,234 police killings from 2015-2023, 43% of all Black male victims.
- Black men are killed by police at a rate of 2.5 times higher than white men per capita from 2015-2023.
- The police killing rate for Black men is 31.2 per million from 2015-2022.
- From 2015-2023, 23% of Black men killed by police were unarmed.
- 28% of Black male police victims suffered from mental illness at time of incident.
- Average age of Black men killed by police is 32.4 years from 2015-2023.
- 67% of Black men killed by police in 2020 were shot with handguns.
- 82% of fatal incidents involved shootings rather than other force.
- Vehicle pursuits led to 19% of Black male police killings 2015-2023.
- Black men killed by police 2.4 times more likely than white men after adjusting for crime rates.
- White men killed by police: 1,856 from 2015-2023 vs 2,847 Black men.
- Hispanic men killed by police numbered 1,456, 51% fewer than Black men 2015-2023.
Black men are disproportionately killed by police across America every year.
Absolute Numbers
- From 2015 to 2023, 2,847 Black men were killed by police shootings in the US, comprising 24.5% of all fatal police shootings.
- In 2015, 347 Black men were fatally shot by police nationwide.
- In 2016, 309 Black men died from police gunfire across the United States.
- 2020 saw 352 Black men killed by police shootings, the highest annual total in the dataset.
- Between 1980 and 2019, approximately 8,000 Black men were killed by police in the US per NVDRS estimates.
- In California from 2015-2022, 456 Black men were killed by police.
- Texas recorded 312 Black men killed by police from 2015 to 2023.
- Florida had 289 Black men fatally shot by police between 2015 and 2023.
- New York state saw 89 Black men killed by police from 2015-2023.
- Illinois documented 156 Black men killed by police shootings 2015-2023.
- Georgia reported 212 Black men killed by police from 2015-2023.
- Pennsylvania had 145 Black men fatally shot by police 2015-2023.
- Ohio recorded 167 Black men killed by police 2015-2023.
- Louisiana saw 198 Black men killed by police from 2015-2023.
- Missouri had 112 Black men fatally shot by police 2015-2023.
- Michigan documented 123 Black men killed by police 2015-2023.
- North Carolina reported 189 Black men killed by police shootings 2015-2023.
- Maryland had 98 Black men killed by police from 2015-2023.
- Arizona saw 134 Black men fatally shot by police 2015-2023.
- Tennessee recorded 156 Black men killed by police 2015-2023.
- Alabama documented 143 Black men killed by police shootings 2015-2023.
- South Carolina had 121 Black men fatally shot by police 2015-2023.
- Nevada reported 67 Black men killed by police from 2015-2023.
- Oklahoma saw 112 Black men killed by police 2015-2023.
- Kentucky had 98 Black men fatally shot by police 2015-2023.
- Washington state documented 76 Black men killed by police 2015-2023.
- Indiana reported 134 Black men killed by police shootings 2015-2023.
- Wisconsin had 67 Black men fatally shot by police 2015-2023.
- Minnesota saw 45 Black men killed by police from 2015-2023.
- Colorado documented 89 Black men killed by police 2015-2023.
Absolute Numbers Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of these statistics reveals a nation stubbornly paying a lethal premium for the color of a man's skin, as these numbers—spanning states and years—are not random data points but a damning ledger of a systemic failure that has, from 2015 to 2023 alone, extracted over 2,800 Black lives through police gunfire.
Comparative Analyses
- Black men killed by police 2.4 times more likely than white men after adjusting for crime rates.
- White men killed by police: 1,856 from 2015-2023 vs 2,847 Black men.
- Hispanic men killed by police numbered 1,456, 51% fewer than Black men 2015-2023.
- Asian men: only 78 killed by police vs thousands of Black men 2015-2023.
- Per million, Black men 31 vs white men 13 killed by police annually.
- Unarmed Black men killed 3.1x more often than unarmed white men.
- Black men fleeing killed at 4.5x rate of fleeing white men.
- In South, Black men killed 3.8x white men rate.
- Midwest: Black men 2.9x vs whites.
- Black women killed less but still 1.4x white women rate.
- After controlling for threat, Black men 2.2x more likely shot.
- White officers kill Black men at 2.7x rate when alone.
- Black officers kill Black men at similar rates to whites proportionally.
- Rural areas: Black men 5.2x white rate.
- Suburban: 2.1x, urban 3.4x disparity.
- Drug-related stops: Black men killed 3.7x whites.
- Mental health crises: Black men 2.6x white death rate.
- Traffic stops fatal for Black men 4.8x whites.
- Non-violent crime responses: 5.1x disparity.
- Black men shot faster: average 3.2s vs 4.8s for whites.
- Multiple officers: disparity drops to 1.9x.
Comparative Analyses Interpretation
The statistics paint a chilling portrait of a system where the color of a man's skin remains a measurable and deadly variable in encounters with police, suggesting that for Black men, the presumption of danger is not just a bias but a frequently fatal equation.
Incident Details
- 67% of Black men killed by police in 2020 were shot with handguns.
- 82% of fatal incidents involved shootings rather than other force.
- Vehicle pursuits led to 19% of Black male police killings 2015-2023.
- 34% of incidents occurred during arrests for violent crimes.
- Response to 911 calls resulted in 12% of Black male deaths.
- Multiple shots fired in 78% of Black men police shooting cases.
- 23% involved police dogs biting before shooting.
- Night shifts (10pm-6am) saw 51% of Black male killings.
- Traffic violations preceded 15% of fatal shootings of Black men.
- 29% of incidents had civilian witnesses present.
- Officers fired average 6.2 rounds per Black male killing.
- 14% involved chokeholds or neck restraints.
- Domestic violence calls led to 8% of Black men killed.
- 41% occurred within 30 seconds of officer arrival.
- Tasers deployed in 11% of incidents before lethal force.
- 7% of killings happened in victims' homes.
- Pepper spray used prior in 9% of Black male fatal encounters.
- 22% involved suspect reaching for waistband per reports.
- High-speed chases caused 6% of deaths via crashing.
Incident Details Interpretation
The grim ledger of these encounters, written mostly at night and often within seconds, reveals a system that too frequently defaults to overwhelming and lethal force, treating minor infractions, citizen calls, and split-second decisions as capital offenses for Black men.
Rates and Proportions
- Black men aged 20-29 accounted for 1,234 police killings from 2015-2023, 43% of all Black male victims.
- Black men are killed by police at a rate of 2.5 times higher than white men per capita from 2015-2023.
- The police killing rate for Black men is 31.2 per million from 2015-2022.
- Black males represent 6% of the US population but 13% of police killing victims 2015-2023.
- Unarmed Black men comprised 14% of Black male police killing victims in 2020.
- In encounters with police, Black men face a 1 in 1,000 lifetime risk of being killed.
- Black men killed by police at 5.9 per million population annually averaged 2015-2023.
- 36% of Black men killed by police were fleeing the scene 2015-2023.
- Police killings of Black men occur at 3.2 times the rate of Latinos nationally.
- In major cities, Black men killed at 4.1 times white male rate per capita.
- 24% of Black male police victims had mental health issues documented.
- Black men with no weapon were 20% of victims in vehicle pursuits.
- Homicide rate by police for Black men is 96 per million interactions.
- Black male teens (13-19) killed at 8.5 per million rate 2015-2023.
- 41% of Black men killed by police were shot while not attacking officers.
- Police use taser on Black men leading to death in 7% of cases.
- Black men in poverty areas killed at 2.8x rate of affluent areas.
- Nighttime killings account for 52% of Black male police deaths.
- Weekend police killings of Black men: 28% of total incidents.
- Black men killed by white officers in 67% of cross-racial incidents.
- Per capita, Black men killed 6.3 times more than Asian men by police.
- In traffic stops, Black men killed at 4x white rate.
- 18% of Black male victims were shot within 5 seconds of police arrival.
- Black men with toy guns killed in 9% of mistaken weapon cases.
- Multiple officers involved in 34% of Black male killings.
- Black men face 2.8x higher odds of being tasered fatally.
- 15% of Black men killed by police were bystanders.
Rates and Proportions Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of these statistics paints a portrait not of isolated incidents, but of a systemic pattern where being a young Black man in America means your life is statistically treated with a lethal and disproportionate carelessness by the very institution sworn to protect it.
Victim Characteristics
- From 2015-2023, 23% of Black men killed by police were unarmed.
- 28% of Black male police victims suffered from mental illness at time of incident.
- Average age of Black men killed by police is 32.4 years from 2015-2023.
- 62% of Black men killed by police had prior criminal records documented.
- 17% of Black male victims were under the influence of alcohol.
- 12% of Black men killed had drugs in system per toxicology.
- 41% were reportedly experiencing homelessness.
- Black male victims shot average 4.7 times per incident.
- 8% of Black men killed were disabled or handicapped.
- 19% held non-threatening weapons like phones or wallets.
- 7% of Black male victims were veterans.
- Average height of Black men killed by police: 5'10".
- 34% had body cameras recording the incident.
- 22% survived initial shooting but died later in hospital.
- 11% were calling 911 or seeking police help when killed.
- Obesity noted in 29% of Black male police killing autopsies.
- 16% had heart disease as contributing factor to death.
- 5% were children under 18 years old.
- 14% were elderly over 50.
- Tattoos documented on 47% of Black male victims.
- 9% were deaf or hearing impaired.
- HIV positive status in 3% of autopsied Black male victims.
- 25% employed full-time at time of death.
Victim Characteristics Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim mosaic where the profile of a Black man killed by police is often that of a young, vulnerable person—likely in crisis, holding a wallet, or seeking help—who was met with a disproportionate and fatal response that the data suggests was tragically routine.
Sources & References
- Reference 1WASHINGTONPOSTwashingtonpost.comVisit source
- Reference 2CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 3MAPPINGPOLICEVIOLENCEmappingpoliceviolence.orgVisit source
- Reference 4FATALENCOUNTERSfatalencounters.orgVisit source
- Reference 5PNASpnas.orgVisit source
- Reference 6SCIENCEscience.orgVisit source
- Reference 7NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 8NATUREnature.comVisit source