While the number 1,164 represents the grim toll of fatal police shootings in 2023, these statistics reveal a far more disturbing story of systemic disparity, tragic routine, and the human lives behind every single data point.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, police shot and killed 1,164 people in the US, with Black Americans comprising 27% of those killed despite being 14% of the population
- From 2015-2023, 24% of police shooting victims were Black males aged 20-29, totaling 1,247 individuals
- Hispanic individuals accounted for 18% of fatal police shootings in 2022, or 207 out of 1,152 total fatalities
- In 2022, 89% of officers involved in fatal shootings were white, in 1,023 incidents
- Male officers conducted 97% of police shootings from 2015-2023, totaling 8,456 male-involved fatalities
- Officers aged 30-39 were responsible for 42% of 2021 shooting deaths, or 505 out of 1,202
- California had 124 fatal police shootings in 2023, highest in US
- Texas recorded 178 police shooting deaths in 2022, 15% of national total
- Florida saw 89 fatal shootings in 2021, with Miami-Dade leading at 12
- Fatal police shootings rose 12% from 2019 to 2020, from 1,004 to 1,127
- 2023 saw peak of 1,164 fatal shootings, up 7% from 2022's 1,096
- Shootings dropped 11% in 2021 vs 2020, to 1,055 amid COVID
- 55% of 2022 fatal shootings involved armed suspects with guns, 603 cases
- Fleeing suspects shot in 24% of cases in 2021, 288 out of 1,202
- Traffic stops led to 9% of fatal shootings in 2023, 105 incidents
Police shootings disproportionately kill Black Americans relative to their population share.
Geographic Distribution
1California had 124 fatal police shootings in 2023, highest in US
Verified2Texas recorded 178 police shooting deaths in 2022, 15% of national total
Verified3Florida saw 89 fatal shootings in 2021, with Miami-Dade leading at 12
Verified4New York had only 11 fatal shootings in 2023 despite population, lowest per capita in large states
Directional5Illinois urban areas like Chicago accounted for 42 shootings in 2022
Single source6Rural counties had 14% of national shootings from 2015-2023, 1,056 deaths
Verified7Arizona's rate was 4.2 per million in 2021, with 30 deaths
Verified8Pennsylvania reported 76 fatal shootings in 2020, Philadelphia 28
Verified9Nevada topped per capita with 6.1 shootings per million in 2022, 19 deaths
Directional10Midwest states averaged 2.8 per million from 2015-2022, totaling 892 deaths
Single source11New Mexico had 5.8 fatal shootings per million in 2023
Verified12Georgia saw 92 deaths in 2022, Atlanta 22
Verified13Ohio had 78 fatal shootings in 2021
Verified14Louisiana rate 5.9 per million 2020-2023 average
Directional15Washington state 4.7 per million in 2022, 36 deaths
Single source16Northeast region lowest at 2.1 per million 2015-2023
Verified17Missouri 72 deaths in 2023, St. Louis high
Verified18Colorado 51 fatal shootings 2021, Denver 12
Verified19Oklahoma rate 4.9 per million 2022
Directional20West region 28% of national total 2015-2023
Single sourceGeographic Distribution Interpretation
It appears our national policing reality is a grim, inconsistent lottery where your odds of survival are profoundly shaped by which side of a state line, or even a county line, you happen to be standing on.
Incident Characteristics
155% of 2022 fatal shootings involved armed suspects with guns, 603 cases
Verified2Fleeing suspects shot in 24% of cases in 2021, 288 out of 1,202
Verified3Traffic stops led to 9% of fatal shootings in 2023, 105 incidents
Verified4Unarmed victims in 14% of shootings 2015-2023, 1,456 total
Directional5Domestic disturbance calls resulted in 12% of 2022 deaths, 131 cases
Single source6Body cameras present in 62% of 2021 fatal shootings, but only 48% activated
Verified7Multiple officers fired in 33% of cases in 2020, involving 383 incidents
Verified8Suspects shot in back in 19% of fleeing cases 2015-2022, 412 instances
Verified9Mental health crisis calls led to 23% of shootings in 2023, 268 deaths
Directional10Knives/vehicle as weapons in 22% of 2023 cases, 256 incidents
Single source11No weapon in 13% of 2022 fatalities, 142 cases
Verified12Drug/alcohol involvement in 18% of 2021 shootings
Verified13Response to theft/burglary 7% of deaths 2020, 81 cases
Verified14Average shots fired per incident 5.2 in 2023 data
Directional15Hands up/Taser deployed prior in 11% of cases 2015-2022
Single source16Officer injured in 27% of fatal shootings 2021
Verified17Warrant service led to 4% of 2023 deaths, 47 incidents
Verified18Attacks on officers prompted 61% of 2022 shootings
Verified19Average response time under 5 min in 78% urban 2021 cases
DirectionalIncident Characteristics Interpretation
Behind every sobering percentage lies a human story, revealing a policing landscape where split-second encounters with armed individuals are common, yet troubling patterns of flight, mental crisis, and unarmed deaths persist despite the intended oversight of body cameras.
Officer Demographics
1In 2022, 89% of officers involved in fatal shootings were white, in 1,023 incidents
Verified2Male officers conducted 97% of police shootings from 2015-2023, totaling 8,456 male-involved fatalities
Verified3Officers aged 30-39 were responsible for 42% of 2021 shooting deaths, or 505 out of 1,202
Verified4White male officers accounted for 78% of fatal shootings in 2023, linked to 909 deaths
Directional5Hispanic officers involved in 12% of shootings killing Black victims in 2022, 38 cases
Single source6Female officers fired fatal shots in 3% of cases from 2015-2022, resulting in 234 deaths
Verified7Officers with less than 5 years experience caused 18% of 2020 fatalities, 209 out of 1,162
Verified8Black officers were involved in 7% of shootings overall in 2021, but 15% when victim was white
Verified965% of officers in fatal shootings had prior complaints, averaging 2.3 per officer in 2022 data
Directional10Veteran officers (20+ years) responsible for 29% of 2023 shootings, 337 fatalities
Single source1192% of officers in 2022 fatal shootings were male
Verified12Black officers involved in 9.6% of fatal shootings 2015-2023
Verified13Officers under 30 caused 12% of 2023 deaths, 140 cases
Verified14Latino officers in 14% of cases killing white victims in 2021
Directional1522% of officers had military background in 2020 shooting data
Single source16Officers from large departments (>1000 officers) in 68% of 2022 fatalities
Verified17Repeat offenders (multiple shootings) in 4% of cases 2015-2021
Verified18Asian officers rare at 1.5% involvement 2015-2023
Verified19Female officers deadlier per capita, 1.2x rate in small sample 2022
Directional20Officers with college degrees in 71% of 2021 cases
Single sourceOfficer Demographics Interpretation
The statistics paint a stark portrait of the archetypal officer in a fatal shooting: a white man in his thirties with some college education, working for a large department, and with complaints already in his file, which suggests the systemic issue is less about rogue individuals and more about deeply entrenched institutional patterns.
Temporal Trends
1Fatal police shootings rose 12% from 2019 to 2020, from 1,004 to 1,127
Verified22023 saw peak of 1,164 fatal shootings, up 7% from 2022's 1,096
Verified3Shootings dropped 11% in 2021 vs 2020, to 1,055 amid COVID
Verified4Summer months (Jun-Aug) averaged 32% of annual shootings 2015-2023
Directional5Weekends accounted for 28% of fatal shootings in 2022, 323 incidents
Single source6Post-George Floyd, shootings increased 15% in 2021 Q3 vs prior year
Verified7Nighttime (after 8pm) shootings were 41% of total in 2020, 476 cases
Verified8Annual average rose from 962 (2015) to 1,100 (2023), 14% increase
Verified92016 peak at 1,092, correlated with election year tensions
Directional10Decline in 2019 to 1,004, lowest since tracking began
Single source11Q4 2023 had 312 shootings, highest quarterly since 2020
Verified12Shootings up 30% from 2015-2023 overall trend line
Verified132020 spike to 1,127, +12% YoY, BLM protests context
Verified14January 2023 had 92 shootings, seasonal low
Directional15Holidays (Jul 4, Thanksgiving) 1.5x average daily rate 2015-2022
Single source16Post-2020 reform cities saw 8% drop by 2023
Verified17Fridays highest day, 16% of weekly 2022 shootings
Verified182017-2019 stable at ~1,000 annually
Verified19COVID lockdowns reduced Q2 2020 by 18%
Directional202022 rebound to 1,096, +4% from 2021
Single source21Long-term 2015-2023 CAGR 3.2% increase
VerifiedTemporal Trends Interpretation
Despite a few encouraging dips, the grim arithmetic of public unrest, hot weekends, and dark nights continues to push the annual tally of fatal police shootings stubbornly upward.
Victim Demographics
1In 2023, police shot and killed 1,164 people in the US, with Black Americans comprising 27% of those killed despite being 14% of the population
Verified2From 2015-2023, 24% of police shooting victims were Black males aged 20-29, totaling 1,247 individuals
Verified3Hispanic individuals accounted for 18% of fatal police shootings in 2022, or 207 out of 1,152 total fatalities
Verified4White victims made up 46% of police shooting deaths in 2021, equating to 553 out of 1,202 cases
Directional5Native Americans were 2.1% of fatal shooting victims from 2015-2022, despite being 1.3% of population, totaling 145 deaths
Single source6Females represented 7% of police shooting fatalities in 2023, with 81 women killed
Verified7Unarmed Black victims numbered 277 from 2015-2023, 36% of all unarmed fatalities
Verified8Victims aged 18-24 comprised 22% of 2022 police shooting deaths, or 253 out of 1,152
Verified9Mental illness was reported in 25% of Black shooting victims in 2021, affecting 92 of 368 cases
Directional10Homeless individuals were 5% of fatal shooting victims in 2020, totaling 58 deaths amid 1,162 total
Single source11In 2023, 1,164 total fatal police shootings occurred nationwide
Verified12Black people were killed at 2.9 times the rate of whites in police shootings from 2015-2023
Verified13From 1980-2019, 8,767 Black men died from police shootings
Verified14In 2022, 278 Black people were killed by police shootings
Directional15Latinos comprised 19.1% of those killed by police in 2022
Single source16Asian Americans were 1.2% of fatal shooting victims 2015-2023
Verified17Children under 18 were 1.8% of victims in 2021, 22 deaths
Verified18Elderly (65+) victims in 2% of 2020 shootings, 23 cases
Verified19Victims with disabilities reported in 11% of 2022 cases
Directional20Poverty rate among victims averaged 35% higher than national in sampled 2021 data
Single sourceVictim Demographics Interpretation
While the data presents a complex mosaic of American policing, the persistent, disproportionate shading of certain communities—particularly young Black men—within that mosaic suggests the picture is less an accident of isolated incidents and more a troubling pattern in need of a new frame.