NCJ Number
225904
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 54 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 185-188
Date Published
January 2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This review of 42 gunshot deaths caused by police officers in New York City over a 4-year period focuses on the circumstances, epidemiology, and number and location of gunshot wounds (GSWs).
Abstract
The study concludes that although police shootings in which the decedent was unarmed and/or sustained numerous GSWs are widely reported by the press, these types of shootings were not typical in this study. The decedents’ average age was 31 years old, ranging from 17 to 64 years. There were 41 male decedents and 1 female; and there were 26 Black, 9 Hispanic, and 7 White decedents. Ethanol and/or drugs of abuse were detected in 78 percent of the decedents. The vast majority of the shootings occurred in the course of the police responding to a crime, and 90 percent of the decedents were armed (26 handguns, 6 knives, 1 axe, 1 metal pipe, and 1 toy gun). Vehicles were used as weapons in two incidents. A total of 177 bullets struck the 42 decedents. Fourteen decedents sustained single GSWs, and the remainder had multiple GSWs that ranged from 2 to 21. The number of GSWs was three or fewer in the majority of the cases. Thirteen decedents had at least 1 GSW of the back or buttocks, accounting for 25 of the 177 GSWs; 4 of the 13 had GSWs of only the back. With the exception of the upper extremities, GSWs of all locations were more likely to penetrate than perforate. The certification of these deaths was typically straightforward, and the cause (i.e., GSW) and manner of death (homicide) were readily apparent. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 20 references