Deaths of police officers on duty rises in the US
- The most common causes of death were gunfire and road accidents
More police officers have died in the line of duty this year in the United States than in 2017, according to data released on Thursday. The most common cause of death was gunfire, with road accidents claiming nearly as many officers’ lives.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund said in a report that 144 federal, state and local officers have died so far in 2018. That figure represents roughly a 12 per cent increase from the 129 who died in 2017.
Most the officers who died were either shot – 52 this year, up from 46 in 2017 – or fatally injured in car or motorcycle crashes, which accounted for 50 deaths. Other fatalities involved heart attacks, strokes, drowning and cancer and other illnesses among those who responded to the September 11 World Trade Centre attack.
Of the officers who were shot, eight were killed during investigative activity and six were killed while responding to calls of a domestic or public disturbance, according to the report. Two were fatally shot while serving warrants, two died while handling or transporting prisoners and two others were accidentally shot by other officers.
