FBI Releases Preliminary Data on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in January 2023

This is a graphic presentation of line-of-duty deaths, both felonious and accidental, collected from law enforcement agencies across the United States and U.S. territories by the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Data Collection. This preliminary information is provided for officer safety studies, training, and other initiatives. The data are also published annually in the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted release. The below data is accurate as of January 31, 2023.

Key Observations
In January 2023, three law enforcement officers were feloniously killed, the same number as in January 2022. This number is relatively consistent with the five-year average (4.2) of felonious law enforcement officer deaths for the month of January. Firearms were used in all the felonious deaths, while the circumstances surrounding the officers’ deaths included activities related to disorder/disturbances (1), investigative/enforcement (1), and a pursuit (1). For the first time in five years, no officers were accidentally killed in January 2023, which is 10 fewer than what was reported in January 2022. The western region had the most law enforcement deaths in January 2023 with two felonious deaths. Although not represented in the below graphic, two officers died from the following medical conditions in January 2023: one law enforcement officer died from illnesses related to COVID-19, and one officer died due to cancer.

Officer Deaths by Year

Annual Felonious Total

YearDeaths
202260
202173
202046
201948


Felonious Deaths through January

YearDeaths
20233
20223
20216
20204
20194


Annual Accidental Total

YearDeaths
202258
202156
202046
201941


Accidental Deaths through October

YearDeaths
202210
20216
20205
20194


Officer Deaths by Region

Felonious

RegionDeaths
Midwest0
Northeast1
Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories0
South0
West2


Accidental

RegionDeaths
Midwest0
Northeast0
Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories0
South0
West0


Circumstances of Officer Deaths

3 Felonious

  • 0 Administrative assignment
  • 0 Ambush (entrapment/premeditation)
  • 0 Arrest situation
  • 0 Assisting another law enforcement officer
  • 0 Assisting motorist
  • 0 Citizen complaint
  • 0 Crime in progress (robbery, burglary, etc.)
  • 1 Disorder/disturbance (domestic disturbance, civil disorder, etc.)
  • 0 Encounter/assist an emotionally disturbed person
  • 1 Investigative/enforcement (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop)
  • 0 Out of service (court, dining, etc.)
  • 0 Providing/deploying equipment (flares, traffic cones, etc.)
  • 1 Pursuit
  • 0 Report of crime (robbery, burglary, etc.)
  • 0 Respond to alarm (audible/silent)
  • 0 Serving/attempting to serve court order (eviction notice, subpoena, etc.)
  • 0 Tactical situation
  • 0 Traffic control (crash scene, directing traffic, etc.)
  • 0 Unprovoked attack
  • 0 Other


0 Accidental

  • 0 Motor vehicle crash
    • 0 Assisting/investigating vehicle crash
    • 0 Assisting motorist
    • 0 Engaging in vehicle pursuit
    • 0 Escorting dignitary or funeral
    • 0 Overseeing work zone
    • 0 Patrolling
    • 0 Performing traffic stop
    • 0 Responding to emergency
    • 0 Responding to non-emergency
    • 0 Training
    • 0 Other   
  • 0 Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle
    • 0 Assisting/investigating vehicle crash
    • 0 Assisting motorist
    • 0 Providing/deploying equipment
    • 0 Engaging in foot pursuit
    • 0 Overseeing work zone
    • 0 Patrolling
    • 0 Performing traffic control
    • 0 Performing traffic stop
    • 0 Training
    • 0 Other
  • 0 Drowning
  • 0 Fall
  • 0 Firearm-related incident
  • 0 Aircraft crash

Officer Deaths by Month

January 2023

  • 3 Felonious
  • 0 Accidental

2022 Felonious Deaths

MonthDeaths
January3
February4
March9
April2
May2
June12
July6
August6
September5
October5
November1
December5


2022 Accidental Deaths

MonthDeaths
January10
February4
March6
April1
May5
June4
July9
August3
September1
October5
November3
December7


Time of Incident

  • 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
    • 3 Felonious
    • 0 Accidental
  • 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.:
    • 2 Felonious
    • 0 Accidental
  • 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.:
    • 0 Felonious
    • 0 Accidental
  • Time Not Reported:
    • 0 Felonious
    • 0 Accidental
  • Off Duty:
    • 0 Felonious
    • 0 Accidental

Location of Fatal Firearm Wound
Felonious Killing

  • 0 Front head
  • 0 Rear head
  • 0 Side head
  • 0 Neck/throat
  • 0 Shoulder (upper torso) area
  • 0 Front upper torso/chest
  • 0 Rear upper torso/back
  • 0 Front lower torso/abdomen
  • 0 Rear lower torso/back
  • 0 Front below waist/groin area
  • 0 Rear below waist/buttocks
  • 0 Arms/hands
  • 0 Front legs/feet
  • 0 Front legs
  • 0 Rear legs
  • 0 Feet
  • 0 Multiple locations, unable to determine fatal wound
  • 3 Fatal wound location not reported
  • 0 Officers confirmed wearing body armor

Weapons Used by Offender

3 Felonious Killings

  • 3 Officers killed with firearms
    • 1 Handguns
    • 0 Rifles
    • 0 Shotguns
    • 2 Not reported
    • 0 Unknown
  • 0 Vehicles
  • 0 Knives/cutting instruments
  • 0 Personal weapons (hands, fists, etc.)
  • 0 Blunt instrument (club, brick, etc.)

Distance from Firearm: Felonious Killings

  • 0-5 feet: 0
  • 6-10 feet: 0
  • 11-20 feet: 0
  • 21-50 feet: 0
  • 51+ feet: 0
  • Not reported: 2
  • Unknown: 1

Clearances of Incidents

  • 2 Cleared
  • 1 Uncleared

Incidents and Victims: Felonious Killings

  • 3 Incidents
  • 3 Victims