Statistics on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in the Line of Duty from January through March 2024
June 7, 2024
Key Observations
The 14 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the first quarter of 2024 represent a 16.7 percent increase compared to the 12 officers killed during the same period in 2023. Firearms were used in 10 of the felonious killings, and the other weapons used were vehicles (2), knives/cutting instruments (1), and personal weapons (1). In 4 of the felonious killings with firearms, the officers were confirmed to have been wearing body armor. The leading circumstances surrounding the officers’ deaths were related to investigative/enforcement activities (6), crimes in progress (2), and tactical situations (2). Accidental deaths of law enforcement increased 37.5 percent when comparing the first quarter of 2024 (11) with those of 2023 (8). Accidental deaths in the first quarter of 2024 were due to motor vehicle accidents (8), pedestrian officers struck by vehicles (2), and an aircraft crash (1). The Southern region had the most law enforcement deaths to date in 2024 with 3 felonious deaths and 9 accidental deaths. Eleven officers died from the following medical conditions to date in 2024: 5 due to conditions related to 9/11, 3 due to cancer, 2 due to heart attacks, and 1 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 March
| Year | Deaths |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2023 | 12 |
| 2022 | 16 |
| 2021 | 18 |
| 2020 | 15 |
Annual Accidental Death Total
| Year | Deaths |
| 2023 | 34 |
| 2022 | 57 |
| 2021 | 56 |
| 2020 | 46 |
Accidental Deaths Through March
| Year | Deaths |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2022 | 20 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2020 | 11 |
Officer Deaths by Region
| Region | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| Midwest | 4 | 2 |
| Northeast | 2 | 0 |
| Puerto Rico and Outlying Territories | 1 | 0 |
| South | 3 | 9 |
| West | 4 | 0 |
Circumstances of Officer Deaths
Felonious: 14
- Investigative/enforcement (drug-related matter, wanted person, traffic violation stop): 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
- Unprovoked attack: 1
Accidental: 11
- Motor vehicle crash: 8
- Engaging in vehicle pursuit: 2
- Responding to emergency: 2
- Performing traffic stop: 1
- Other: 3
- Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle: 2
- Assisting/investigating vehicle crash: 1
- Providing/deploying equipment: 1
- Aircraft crash: 1
Officer Deaths by Month in 2024
| Month | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| January | 2 | 3 |
| February | 7 | 6 |
| March | 5 | 2 |
Time of Incident
| Time | Felonious Deaths | Accidental Deaths |
| 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 2 | 1 |
| 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. | 6 | 5 |
| 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. | 3 | 1 |
| Time not reported | 2 | 4 |
| Off duty * | 1 | 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: 14 White
Sex: 14 Male
Ethnicity:
- Hispanic or Latino: 1
- Not Hispanic or Latino: 6
- Not reported: 7
Demographics of Offenders
Race
- White: 7
- Black or African American: 6
- Not reported: 1
Sex
- Male: 13
- Female: 1
Ethnicity: 14 not reported
Weapons Used by Offender
Firearm: 10
- Handgun: 2
- Unknown: 1
- Not reported: 7
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: 7
Location of Fatal Firearm Wound
Head or neck: 1
Torso or arms: 2
Not reported: 6
Numbers of incidents and Victims in Felonious Killings
Incidents: 13
Victims: 14
