Statistics on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in the Line of Duty from January 1 through October 31, 2024
The 54 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the first 10 months of 2024 represent a 5.9% increase over the same period in 2023, during which 51 officers were killed. Firearms were used in 75.9% of the felonious deaths occurring in 2024. Four of the officers who were killed with firearms are confirmed to have been wearing body armor. The leading circumstances surrounding the officers’ felonious deaths were related to investigative/enforcement activities (18 deaths), unprovoked attacks (eight deaths), and ambushes (six deaths).
Thirty-six law enforcement officers died under accidental circumstances in the line of duty in the first 10 months of 2024. This represents a 24.1% increase over the same period in 2023, for which 29 accidental line-of-duty deaths were reported to the FBI.
Thus far, the leading causes of accidental line-of-duty deaths in 2024 have been motor vehicle crashes (20 deaths) and pedestrian officers struck by vehicles (five deaths). The southern region has the most law enforcement deaths in 2024 with 42 deaths total (22 felonious, 20 accidental). Additionally, 32 officers died from the following medical conditions in 2024:
- Heart attack (11 deaths)
- Natural causes (11 deaths)
- Conditions related to 9/11 response (seven deaths)
- Cancer (three deaths)
These statistics are preliminary and may change as law enforcement agencies submit updates.
Officer Deaths by Year
Annual Felonious Death Total
| Year | Deaths |
| 2023 | 60 |
| 2022 | 61 |
| 2021 | 73 |
| 2020 | 46 |
Felonious Deaths Through October
| Year | Deaths |
| 2024 | 54 |
| 2023 | 51 |
| 2022 | 53 |
| 2021 | 62 |
| 2020 | 41 |
Annual Accidental Death Total
| Year | Deaths |
| 2023 | 34 |
| 2022 | 57 |
| 2021 | 56 |
| 2020 | 46 |
Accidental Deaths Through October
| Year | Deaths |
| 2024 | 36 |
| 2023 | 29 |
| 2022 | 48 |
| 2021 | 50 |
| 2020 | 41 |
Officer Deaths by Region
| Region | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| Midwest | 15 | 8 |
| Northeast | 5 | 1 |
| Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories | 1 | 1 |
| South | 22 | 20 |
| West | 11 | 4 |
Circumstances of Officer Deaths
Felonious: 54
- Investigative/enforcement (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop): 18
- Unprovoked attack: 8
- Ambush (entrapment/premeditation): 6
- Tactical situation: 5
- Assisting another law enforcement officer: 4
- Crime in progress (robbery, burglary, etc.): 4
- Pursuit: 3
- Disorder/disturbance (domestic disturbance, civil disorder, etc.): 2
- Citizen complaint: 1
- Out of service (court, dining, etc.): 1
- Traffic control (crash scene, directing traffic, etc.): 1
- Other: 1
Accidental: 32
- Motor vehicle crash: 20
- Responding to emergency: 5
- Engaging in vehicle pursuit: 4
- Patrolling: 2
- Performing traffic stop: 2
- Assisting/investigating vehicle crash: 1
- Escorting dignitary or funeral: 1
- Other: 5
- Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle: 5
- Assisting/investigating vehicle crash: 3
- Performing traffic stop: 1
- Providing/deploying equipment: 1
- Firearm-related incident: 2
- Aircraft crash: 1
- Drowning: 1
- Fall: 1
- Other: 6
Officer Deaths by Month in 2024
| Month | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| January | 2 | 3 |
| February | 7 | 6 |
| March | 5 | 3 |
| April | 10 | 10 |
| May | 4 | 0 |
| June | 4 | 4 |
| July | 6 | 0 |
| August | 10 | 3 |
| September | 6 | 4 |
| October | 0 | 3 |
Time of Incident
| Time | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 7 | 5 |
| 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 9 | 12 |
| 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. | 7 | 3 |
| Time not reported | 27 | 16 |
| Off duty* | 4 | 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
- White: 48
- Black or African American: 6
Sex
- Male: 54
Ethnicity
- Not Hispanic or Latino: 20
- Hispanic or Latino: 2
- Not reported: 32
Demographics of Offenders in Felonious Killings
Race
- White: 27
- Black or African American: 21
- Not reported: 7
Sex
- Male: 49
- Female: 6
Ethnicity:
- Not Hispanic or Latino: 2
- Not Reported: 53
Felonious Killings by Weapons Used by Offender
Firearm: 41
- Handgun: 2
- Unknown: 1
- Not reported: 38
Vehicle: 9
Personal weapon (hands, fists, etc.): 3
Knife/cutting instrument: 1
Distance from Firearm in Felonious Killings
0-5 feet: 2
6-10 feet: 1
Not reported: 38
Location of Fatal Firearm Wound in Felonious Killings
Head or neck: 1
Torso or arms: 2
Not reported: 38
Numbers of Incidents and Victims in Felonious Killings
Incidents: 52
Victims: 54
