A shocking 1,164 people were killed in police shootings across the United States last year, a grim new record that forces us to look beyond the headline numbers and into the profound human and systemic realities of this ongoing national crisis.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, police officers in the United States fatally shot 1,164 individuals, marking the highest annual total since comprehensive tracking began in 2015
- From 2015 to 2023, law enforcement officers discharged firearms resulting in 8,542 deaths nationwide, averaging approximately 950 per year
- In 2022, there were 1,096 fatal police shootings in the US, with 96% involving armed suspects
- In 2021, 93% of fatal OIS involved male victims
- Black Americans comprised 24% of fatal OIS victims from 2015-2023, despite 13% population
- From 2015-2023, 96% of those killed in police shootings were male
- 87% of officers involved in fatal OIS 2015-2023 were male
- White officers were involved in 72% of fatal OIS from 2015-2023
- Average age of officers in fatal OIS was 37 in 2022
- 98% of fatal OIS involved handguns as primary weapon 2015-2023
- Suspect armed with gun in 79% of fatal OIS cases 2023
- 27% of fatal OIS occurred during traffic stops or pursuits 2015-2023
- Less than 3% of fatal OIS resulted in officer charged 2015-2023
- 99% of officers involved in fatal OIS not charged with crime 2015-2022
- Civil lawsuits settled in 40% of fatal OIS cases reviewed 2015-2021
Police shooting fatalities hit a record high of 1,164 people in 2023.
Circumstances and Justifications
- 98% of fatal OIS involved handguns as primary weapon 2015-2023
- Suspect armed with gun in 79% of fatal OIS cases 2023
- 27% of fatal OIS occurred during traffic stops or pursuits 2015-2023
- Domestic violence calls preceded 10% of fatal OIS 2022
- 36% of fatal shootings happened when suspect attacked officer 2015-2023
- Unarmed suspects: 6% of all fatal OIS victims 2015-2023
- 18% of fatal OIS involved vehicle as threat 2023
- Mental health crisis flagged in 25% of fatal OIS 2015-2022
- 41% of fatal OIS occurred at night or early morning 2015-2023
- Suspects fleeing on foot: 15% of fatal OIS scenarios 2022
- Drug/alcohol involvement suspected in 22% of fatal OIS 2015-2023
- 52% of fatal OIS justified by suspect pointing weapon at officer
- Robbery in progress led to 8% of fatal OIS 2023
- 33% of fatal OIS had body cam footage available 2022
- Officer under fire: 21% of fatal OIS circumstances 2015-2023
Circumstances and Justifications Interpretation
While nearly all fatal officer-involved shootings involve a handgun, a sobering majority of cases involve an armed suspect, though troubling percentages also stem from traffic stops, mental health crises, and encounters where the suspect was ultimately unarmed.
Incidence and Frequency
- In 2023, police officers in the United States fatally shot 1,164 individuals, marking the highest annual total since comprehensive tracking began in 2015
- From 2015 to 2023, law enforcement officers discharged firearms resulting in 8,542 deaths nationwide, averaging approximately 950 per year
- In 2022, there were 1,096 fatal police shootings in the US, with 96% involving armed suspects
- California recorded 116 fatal officer-involved shootings in 2023, the highest of any state
- Between 1980 and 2009, the FBI reported an average of 400 justifiable homicides by law enforcement annually
- In 2021, officers were feloniously killed in 73 incidents, with firearms involved in 59% of those cases
- New York City had 12 fatal police shootings in 2022, down from 25 in 2015
- From 2013 to 2022, over 30,000 officer-involved shootings occurred, with 8,000+ fatalities
- Texas saw 184 fatal OIS in 2022, accounting for 17% of national total
- In 2020, amid protests, fatal police shootings reached 1,127, highest on record
- Florida reported 92 fatal OIS in 2023, second highest nationally
- From 2015-2023, rural areas saw 15% of fatal OIS despite 19% population share
- Chicago PD had 28 fatal shootings from 2015-2022
- National rate of fatal OIS is 3.1 per million population annually since 2015
- Philadelphia recorded 45 fatal OIS from 2015-2023
- In 2019, 1,004 fatal police shootings occurred, with 23 unarmed victims
- Los Angeles County had 124 fatal OIS from 2009-2019
- From 2015-2021, off-duty officers were involved in 5% of fatal shootings
- Arizona's fatal OIS rate is 7.3 per million, highest in US 2015-2023
Incidence and Frequency Interpretation
While the nation’s conversation rightly fixates on a tragically record-breaking number of lives taken by police gunfire—over a thousand last year alone—it's a grim arithmetic that demands we remember these aren't just statistics but thousands of fractured stories, each requiring its own arduous search for truth and justice.
Officer Demographics
- 87% of officers involved in fatal OIS 2015-2023 were male
- White officers were involved in 72% of fatal OIS from 2015-2023
- Average age of officers in fatal OIS was 37 in 2022
- Black officers accounted for 12% of fatal OIS involvements 2015-2023
- 45% of officers in fatal OIS had less than 5 years experience 2015-2022
- Hispanic officers involved in 14% of fatal OIS 2015-2023
- In 2023, 91% of shooting officers were not injured
- Female officers involved in 8% of fatal OIS incidents 2015-2023
- Officers with body cameras were present in 65% of fatal OIS 2022
- 22% of fatal OIS involved multiple officers firing 2015-2023
- Average officer tenure in fatal OIS: 11 years nationally 2015-2021
- In NYC, 85% of shooting officers were white 2015-2022
- Off-duty officers fired shots in 4% of fatal OIS 2015-2023
- 76% of officers in fatal OIS were local police, 24% sheriff/state 2022
Officer Demographics Interpretation
While the data reveals that fatal OIS incidents are statistically dominated by relatively inexperienced, white male officers, this glaring demographic echo chamber serves as a stark professional indictment rather than a mere demographic footnote.
Outcomes and Legal Consequences
- Less than 3% of fatal OIS resulted in officer charged 2015-2023
- 99% of officers involved in fatal OIS not charged with crime 2015-2022
- Civil lawsuits settled in 40% of fatal OIS cases reviewed 2015-2021
- Officers fired or resigned in 15% of fatal OIS post-investigation 2022
- 92% of fatal OIS ruled justified by departments 2015-2023
- Average payout in OIS wrongful death suits: $3.2 million 2015-2022
- Federal convictions in OIS: under 1% of cases 2015-2023
- 75% of non-fatal OIS resulted in no policy changes 2021
- Officer injuries in fatal OIS: 12% sustained gunshot wounds 2022
- Settlements exceeded $1 billion total for OIS 2015-2023
- Only 2 officers convicted of murder in OIS 2015-2023 nationally
- Internal affairs sustained complaints in 8% of OIS reviews 2022
- 85% of fatal OIS had no criminal prosecution of officer
- Wrongful death verdicts averaged 5 per year 2015-2022
- Discipline imposed in 22% of non-justified OIS findings
- In 2023, 1 officer sentenced to prison for OIS manslaughter
Outcomes and Legal Consequences Interpretation
These numbers tell a grim, seemingly contradictory tale: while official investigations almost universally conclude an officer was legally justified, the enormous financial settlements and rare but costly verdicts reveal a justice system that consistently finds fault only in civil court, where the standard of proof is lower but the price tag for life is soberingly high.
Victim Demographics
- In 2021, 93% of fatal OIS involved male victims
- Black Americans comprised 24% of fatal OIS victims from 2015-2023, despite 13% population
- From 2015-2023, 96% of those killed in police shootings were male
- Hispanic victims made up 19% of fatal OIS from 2015-2023
- Average age of fatal OIS victims in 2022 was 38 years old
- 36% of unarmed fatal OIS victims from 2015-2023 were Black
- White victims accounted for 46% of fatal police shootings 2015-2023
- In 2023, 25% of fatal OIS victims were fleeing the scene
- Native American victims had a fatal OIS rate 3x national average 2015-2023
- 14% of fatal OIS victims in 2022 had mental illness indicators
- Black males aged 20-29 represented 13% of fatal OIS victims but 2% population
- From 2015-2023, 7% of fatal OIS victims were women
- Asian Americans were 1% of fatal OIS victims 2015-2023
- In California, Latinos were 42% of fatal OIS victims 2015-2023
- 55% of fatal OIS victims in 2021 were aged 18-44
- Unarmed Black victims: 14% of all Black fatal OIS 2015-2023
- Veterans comprised 6% of fatal OIS victims identified 2015-2022
- In Texas, 30% of fatal OIS victims were Hispanic 2022
- 92% of fatal OIS victims 2015-2023 had no immediate threat to officers per WaPo
Victim Demographics Interpretation
The numbers paint a grim portrait of American policing: a system where lethal force overwhelmingly claims young men, especially Black men at a wildly disproportionate rate, despite the vast majority posing no immediate deadly threat, revealing a deeply ingrained pattern of who is deemed a danger worthy of death.
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