Shootings involving law enforcement

Overview

Shootings involving law enforcement are when a law enforcement officer injures or kills a civilian with a firearm while acting in the line of duty. In the United States, between 2020 and 2024, 6,911 civilians were killed and 4,300 were injured in shootings involving law enforcement. During that same time, 327 officers were killed and 1,748 were injured in shootings involving law enforcement. These shootings typically happen when law enforcement responds to situations such as domestic disturbances, robberies or burglaries, personal arguments, and seizures of illegal drugs.

Anyone can be affected by shootings involving law enforcement, but some groups, like young Black men, are at higher risk than others. These shootings are also more common in communities with higher poverty rates, limited access to transportation and safe housing, a history of being underserved, and greater racial diversity. This is known as social vulnerability. States with high levels of firearm ownership also have more shootings involving law enforcement compared to those with lower levels.

In Colorado

• In 2023, about 44% of adults in Colorado were worried about shootings involving law enforcement in their communities. 
• Over a ten-year period, from 2006 to 2023, there were 123 fatal shootings involving law enforcement in Colorado. 
• Of those killed, 96% were male, 33% were between the ages of 20 and 29, and 86% were white. Although Black residents make up about 4% of Colorado’s population, they represented 7% of the fatal shootings by law enforcement during this time. In comparison, Black Americans made up about 14% of the United States population and represented about 29% of fatal shootings by law enforcement during this time.

Prevention and intervention

Firearm-related harms from shootings involving law enforcement can be prevented by addressing the needs of individuals and the community circumstances that lead to them. For more information on these strategies, refer to the enhancing the built environment, community violence intervention, and hospital-based violence intervention programs webpages.