Statistics on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in the Line of Duty from January through August 2024
The 47 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the first eight months of 2024 represent a 6.8 percent increase compared to the 44 officers killed during the same period in 2023. Firearms were used in 76.6 percent of the felonious deaths occurring in 2024. Among officers killed with firearms, four are confirmed to have been wearing body armor. The leading circumstances surrounding the officers’ felonious deaths were related to investigative/enforcement (16), unprovoked attacks (8), and ambushes (entrapment/premeditation) (6). The 16 investigative/enforcement-related deaths in 2024 represent a 77.8 percent increase compared to the nine during the same time period in 2023, and unprovoked attacks increased 300 percent in 2024 (8) when comparing the first eight months of 2023 (2). Accidental law enforcement deaths increased 31.8 percent when comparing the first eight months of 2024 (29) with those of 2023 (22). Thus far, the leading cause of accidental officer deaths in 2024 has been motor vehicle accidents (17). The Southern region has the most law enforcement deaths in 2024, with 37 deaths total (20 felonious, 17 accidental). Additionally, 23 officers died from the following medical conditions in 2024: heart attack (9), natural causes (6), conditions related to 9/11 response (5), and cancer (3).
These statistics are preliminary and can 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 August
| Year | Deaths |
| 2024 | 47 |
| 2023 | 44 |
| 2022 | 43 |
| 2021 | 50 |
| 2020 | 33 |
Annual Accidental Death Total
| Year | Deaths |
| 2023 | 34 |
| 2022 | 57 |
| 2021 | 56 |
| 2020 | 46 |
Accidental Deaths Through August
| Year | Deaths |
| 2024 | 29 |
| 2023 | 22 |
| 2022 | 42 |
| 2021 | 39 |
| 2020 | 31 |
Officer Deaths by Region
| Region | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| Midwest | 12 | 5 |
| Northeast | 5 | 2 |
| Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories | 1 | 1 |
| South | 20 | 17 |
| West | 9 | 4 |
Circumstances of Officer Deaths
Felonious: 47
- Investigative/enforcement (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop): 16
- Unprovoked attack: 8
- Ambush (entrapment/premeditation): 6
- Tactical situation: 5
- Assisting another law enforcement officer: 3
- Crime in progress (robbery, burglary, etc.): 3
- Disorder/disturbance (domestic disturbance, civil disorder, etc.): 2
- Citizen complaint: 1
- Out of service (court, dining, etc.): 1
- Pursuit: 1
- Traffic control (crash scene, directing traffic, etc.): 1
Accidental: 29
- Motor vehicle crash: 17
- Responding to emergency: 4
- Engaging in vehicle pursuit: 4
- Patrolling: 2
- Performing traffic stop: 2
- Escorting dignitary or funeral: 1
- Other: 4
- Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle: 4
- Assisting/investigating vehicle crash: 2
- Performing traffic stop: 1
- Providing/deploying equipment: 1
- Aircraft crash: 1
- Fall: 1
- Firearm-related incident: 2
- Other: 4
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 | 9 | 3 |
Time of Incident
| Time | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 7 | 5 |
| 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 9 | 10 |
| 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. | 7 | 3 |
| Time not reported | 21 | 11 |
| Off duty* | 3 | 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: 42
- Black or African American: 5
Sex
- Male: 46
- Female: 1
Ethnicity
- Not Hispanic or Latino: 20
- Hispanic or Latino: 2
- Not reported: 25
Demographics of Offenders
Race
- White: 24
- Black or African American: 21
- Not reported: 4
Sex
- Male: 43
- Female: 6
Ethnicity: 49 not reported
Felonious Killings by Weapons Used by Offender
Firearm: 36
- Handgun: 2
- Unknown: 1
- Not reported: 33
Vehicle: 8
Knife/cutting instrument: 1
Personal weapon (hands, fists, etc.): 2
Distance from Firearm
0-5 feet: 2
6-10 feet: 1
Not reported: 33
Location of Fatal Firearm Wound
Head or neck: 1
Torso or arms: 2
Not reported: 33
Numbers of Incidents and Victims in Felonious Killings
Incidents: 45
Victims: 47
