Statistics on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in the Line of Duty from January through April 2024
July 16, 2024
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