This information is from FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS), offered here as it appears on their site for your examination, analysis and discussion. It’s critical to know what’s happened in order to prepare for threats. 

 

Key Observations

The 10 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in April 2024 represent a 66.7 percent increase compared to the six officers killed during the same period in 2023. Firearms were used in 20 of the 24 felonious deaths occurring in the first four months of 2024, and the other weapons used were vehicles (two), knives/cutting instruments (one), and personal weapons (one). Among officers killed with firearms, four are confirmed to have been wearing body armor. The leading circumstances surrounding the officers’ deaths were related to investigative/enforcement activities (10) and unprovoked attacks (six). Accidental deaths of law enforcement officers in April 2024 (nine) increased exponentially when compared with April 2023 (zero). The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ accidental deaths in 2024 were motor vehicle accidents (13) and pedestrian officers struck by vehicles (four). The Southern region had the most law enforcement deaths in 2024 with nine felonious deaths and 13 accidental deaths. Although not represented in the below data, 17 officers died from the following medical conditions in 2024: seven due to heart attack, five due to conditions related to 9/11, three due to cancer, and two due to other natural causes.

These statistics are preliminary and can change as law enforcement agencies submit updates.

An infographic featuring these statistics is available in Crime Data Explorer.

Officer Deaths by Year

Annual Felonious Death Total

Year: Deaths

2023: 60
2022: 61
2021: 73
2020: 46

Felonious Deaths Through April
Year: Deaths

2024: 24
2023: 18
2022: 18
2021: 26
2020: 19

Annual Accidental Death Total
Year: Deaths

2023: 34
2022: 57
2021: 56
2020: 46

Accidental Deaths Through April
Year: Deaths

2024: 21
2023: 8
2022: 21
2021: 20
2020: 15

Officer Deaths by Region
Region: Felonious Deaths / Accidental Deaths

Midwest: 5 / 4
Northeast: 4 / 1
Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories: 1 / 0
South: 9 / 13
West: 5 / 3 

Circumstances of Officer Deaths

Felonious: 24

• Investigative/enforcement (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop): 10
• Unprovoked attack: 6
• Crime in progress (robbery, burglary, etc.): 2
• Tactical situation: 2
• Assisting another law enforcement officer: 1
• Citizen complaint: 1
• Disorder/disturbance (domestic disturbance, civil disorder, etc.): 1
• Out of service (court, dining, etc.): 1

Accidental: 21

• Motor vehicle crash: 13
  • Responding to emergency: 4
  • Engaging in vehicle pursuit: 3
  • Patrolling: 2
  • Performing traffic stop: 2
  • Responding to emergency: 1
  • Other: 1
• Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle: 4
  • Assisting/investigating vehicle crash: 2
  • Performing traffic stop: 1
  • Providing/deploying equipment: 1
• Aircraft crash: 1
• Other: 3

Officer Deaths by Month in 2024
Month: Felonious Deaths / Accidental Deaths

January: 2 / 3
February: 7 / 6
March: 5 / 3
April: 10 / 9

Time of Incident
Time: Felonious Deaths / Accidental Deaths

7 a.m. to 3 p.m.: 6 / 5
3 p.m. to 11 p.m.: 7 / 9
11 p.m. to 7 a.m.: 4 / 3
Time not reported: 5 / 4
Off Duty: 2 / 0

* Off duty is when an officer is not scheduled to be working at the time of the incident but is present and acting under law enforcement authority.

Demographics of Officers Killed

Race: 24 White

Sex: 24 Male

Ethnicity:

• Not Hispanic or Latino: 15
• Hispanic or Latino: 2
• Not reported: 7

Demographics of Offenders

Race

• White: 10
• Black or African American: 8
• Not reported: 2

Sex

• Male: 18
• Female: 1
• Not reported: 1

Ethnicity: 20 not reported

Weapons Used by Offender

Firearm: 20

• Handgun: 2
• Unknown: 1
• Not reported: 17

Vehicle: 2

Knife/cutting instrument: 1

Personal weapon (hands, fists, etc.): 1

Distance From Firearm

0-5 feet: 2

6-10 feet: 1

Not reported: 17

Location of Fatal Firearm Wound

Head or neck: 1

Torso or arms: 2

Not reported: 16

Numbers of incidents and Victims in Felonious Killings

Incidents: 22

Victims: 24

 

— Auth: FBI CJIS, 16 July 2024