Study: Deaths caused by law enforcement soar over the last two decades
July 11, 2026
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0:57Now PlayingStudy: Deaths caused by law enforcement soar over the last two decades
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelA new study finds the number of people in the U.S. who’ve died at the hands of law enforcement has risen significantly over the last couple of decades, with Black men — ages 18 to 29 — seeing the highest mortality rates.
The researchers used mortality files from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.They found there had been nearly 12,000 deaths caused by law enforcement officers between 2003 and 2024, a number that included 270 children. Annual deaths of adults at the hands of law enforcement more than doubled in that time period. For children aged 17 and under, the annual deaths jumped by nearly five times, from 8 to 37. Nearly 90% of all deaths were caused by firearms.
However, the researchers note that deaths caused by law enforcement are underreported, and their analysis may be underestimating the real toll.
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