FBI Releases Preliminary Statistics on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in the Line of Duty from January through August 2023
September 27, 2023
Key Observations
The 43 law enforcement officers that were feloniously killed in the first eight months of 2023 represent a 2.3 percent decrease compared to the 44 officers killed during the same period in 2022. Firearms were used in 81.4 percent of the felonious deaths in 2023, with handguns most commonly reported. In 11 of the felonious killings, officers were confirmed to have been wearing body armor. The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ felonious deaths included activities related to investigative/enforcement (9), assisting other law enforcement officers (6), ambushes (5), crimes in progress (5), and pursuits (5). The 9 investigative/enforcement-related deaths in 2023 represent a 12.5 percent increase compared to the 8 deaths during the same time period in 2022. Conversely, unprovoked attacks decreased more than 66.7 percent in 2023 (2) when compared to the first 8 months of 2022 (6). Accidental law enforcement deaths decreased 47.6 percent when comparing the first 8 months of 2023 (22) with those of 2022 (42). Thus far, the leading cause of accidental officer deaths in 2023 has been motor vehicle accidents (15). The southern region has the most law enforcement deaths in 2023 with 30 deaths total (15 felonious, 15 accidental). Sixteen officers have died in the line of duty from the following medical conditions in 2023: natural causes (10), conditions related to 9/11 (3), cancer (2), and illness related to COVID-19 (1).
These statistics are preliminary and can change as the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program receives updates
Officer Deaths by Year
Annual Felonious Death Total
Year | Deaths |
2022 | 61 |
2021 | 73 |
2020 | 46 |
2019 | 48 |
Felonious Deaths through August by Year
Year | Deaths |
2023 | 43 |
2022 | 44 |
2021 | 50 |
2020 | 33 |
2019 | 30 |
Annual Accidental Death Total
Year | Deaths |
2022 | 57 |
2021 | 56 |
2020 | 46 |
2019 | 41 |
Accidental Deaths through August, by Year
Year | Deaths |
2023 | 22 |
2022 | 42 |
2021 | 39 |
2020 | 31 |
2019 | 29 |
Officer Deaths by Region
Midwest
- Felonious: 14
- Accidental: 2
Northeast
- Felonious: 7
- Accidental: 0
Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories
- Felonious: 2
- Accidental: 1
South
- Felonious: 15
- Accidental: 15
West
- Felonious: 5
- Accidental: 4
Circumstances of Officer Deaths
43 Felonious
- 9 Investigative/enforcement (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop)
- 6 Assisting another law enforcement officer
- 5 Ambushes (entrapment/premeditation)
- 5 Crimes in progress (robbery, burglary, etc.)
- 5 Pursuits
- 2 Arrest situations
- 2 Disorder/disturbance (domestic disturbance, civil disorder, etc.)
- 2 Encounter/assist an emotionally disturbed person
- 2 Tactical situations
- 2 Unprovoked attack
- 1 Administrative assignment
- 1 Serving/attempting to serve court order (eviction notice, subpoena, etc.)
- 1 Traffic control (crash scene, directing traffic, etc.)
22 Accidental
- 15 Motor vehicle crashes
- 6 Patrolling
- 6 Responding to emergency
- 1 Escorting dignitary or funeral
- 1 Responding to nonemergency
- 1 Other
- 2 Aircraft crash
- 2 Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle
- 1 Training
- 1 Other
- 1 Drowning
- 1 Fall
- 1 Firearm-related incident
Officer Deaths by Month in 2022 and 2023
Felonious Deaths in 2023, by Month
Month | Deaths |
January | 3 |
February | 5 |
March | 4 |
April | 6 |
May | 6 |
June | 6 |
July | 10 |
August | 3 |
Accidental Deaths in 2023, by Month
Month | Deaths |
January | 0 |
February | 3 |
March | 5 |
April | 0 |
May | 3 |
June | 2 |
July | 5 |
August | 4 |
Felonious Deaths in 2022, by Month
Month | Deaths |
January | 3 |
February | 4 |
March | 9 |
April | 2 |
May | 2 |
June | 12 |
July | 6 |
August | 6 |
September | 5 |
October | 5 |
November | 1 |
December | 6 |
Accidental Deaths in 2022, by Month
Month | Deaths |
January | 10 |
February | 4 |
March | 6 |
April | 1 |
May | 5 |
June | 4 |
July | 9 |
August | 3 |
September | 1 |
October | 5 |
November | 3 |
December | 6 |
Time of Incident
- 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.—7 felonious, 4 accidental
- 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.—18 felonious, 7 accidental
- 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.—3 felonious, 5 accidental
- Time Not Reported—13 felonious, 6 accidental
- Off Duty*—2 felonious, 0 accidental
*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 Feloniously Killed
Race
- 39 White
- 3 Black or African American
- 1 Not reported
Sex
- 38 Male
- 5 Female
Ethnicity
- 34 Not Hispanic or Latino
- 3 Hispanic or Latino
- 6 Not reported
Demographics of Offenders in Felonious Killings
Race
- 8 White
- 5 Black or African American
- 33 Not reported
Sex
- 45 Male
- 1 Female
Ethnicity
- 5 Hispanic or Latino
- 4 Not Hispanic or Latino
- 37 Not reported
Location of Fatal Firearm Wound
Felonious Killing
- 4 Head or neck
- 2 Abdomen or legs
- 2 Torso or arms
- 26 Fatal wound locations not reported
Weapons Used by Offender
43 Felonious Killings
- 35 Officers killed with firearms
- 8 Handguns
- 5 Rifles
- 21 Not reported
- 5 Vehicles
- 1 Personal weapon (hands, fists, etc.)
- 2 Other
Distance from Firearm
Felonious Killings
- 0-5 feet: 2
- 6-10 feet: 3
- 11-20 feet: 1
- 21-50 feet: 1
- 51+ feet: 1
- Not reported: 23
- Unknown: 4
Overall Numbers of Incidents and Victims
- Incidents: 43
- Victims: 43
FBI data on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted is posted in the Crime Data Explorer.