Police killings set record in 2024, but with smallest increase in years: Report
The Mapping Police Violence found that at least 1,365 people were killed by law enforcement last year — a slight uptick from the 1,329 civilians who died at the hands of police in 2023. The project from police reform advocacy group Campaign Zero has been tracking police killings in the country since 2013.
May 2024 was recorded as the second deadliest month since the group began tracking the killings, with 136 killed by officers. That number follows closely behind August 2023, which had a record 137 deaths.
In August 2024, the fifth deadliest month, about 125 people were killed by law enforcement, according to the report.
The number of annual deaths attributed to police officers has climbed steadily since 2020 — the same year a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, fueling Black Lives Matter protests and other demonstrations around the country.
The per capita increase from 2023 to 2024 was less than half a percent, while the per capita number jumped 6.5 percent from 2022 to 2023.
The project counts as police killings any 'incident where a law enforcement officer (off-duty or on-duty) applies, on a civilian, lethal force resulting in the civilian being killed whether it is considered 'justified' or 'unjustified' by the U.S. Criminal Legal System.'
The annual report also found that Black people are nearly three times as likely than white people to be killed at the hands of police in 2024.
There is no formal government tracking of officer-involved deaths nationally.
The Mapping Police Violence report is compiled from media reports and thousands of hours of research from the project's analysts.
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Washington Post
4 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Officer who shot D.C. teen in 2020 found liable in wrongful death suit
A D.C. police officer who killed a young Black man five years ago during an attempted arrest was not legally justified in shooting him, according to a jury that awarded the man's mother $655,000. Deon Kay, 18, was killed in Southeast Washington on Sept. 2, 2020, by D.C. police officer Alexander Alvarez, who saw a pistol in Kay's right hand and fired from eight feet away as Kay was throwing down his weapon. His death sparked protests from those demanding justice and decrying police violence, particularly against Black men. These demonstrations came amid nationwide protests in the summer of 2020 over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in 2021 in D.C. Superior Court by Natasha Kay, the mother of Deon Kay. A jury on Thursday found Alvarez was 'negligent' in the lead-up to the shooting in a way that caused it and that he committed battery against Deon Kay. Yaida Ford, Natasha Kay's attorney, praised the eight-person jury's verdict as proof that District residents want police officers held accountable for their actions. 'People are tired of police officers getting away with unjust killings of Black people,' Ford said. 'Deon hadn't even been 18 for 30 days. … This was somebody with a future. This was somebody whose mother, whose family loved him.' D.C. police confirmed Alvarez was still a member of D.C. police and referred questions about the verdict to the D.C. attorney general's office. Attorneys and spokespeople with office, which represented Alvarez, did not respond to requests for comment. In court filings, attorneys for Natasha Kay argued that Alvarez 'intentionally shot and killed Deon Kay without provocation or justification as Deon Kay was attempting to surrender.' The officer, they argued in court filings, should have realized from a live Instagram video that Kay was holding a weapon for a music video 'and did not pose a serious threat to anyone.' They argued that Alvarez should be liable for 'recklessly and negligently killing Deon,' after failing to follow police weapons and safety standards. 'Why'd he shoot me,' Deon Kay was captured saying in body-camera footage before dying, according to the complaint. Attorneys for Alvarez denied all of these allegations in a court filing. Federal prosecutors decided against filing criminal charges against Alvarez. The D.C. police Internal Affairs Bureau found the shooting was justified and within department policy, a finding supported by an independent review commissioned by the District's auditor, Kathleen Patterson. But that report also said police mistakes leading up to the deadly encounter unnecessarily put officers and Kay in danger. The independent review said members of the 7th Police District Crime Suppression Team saw four young men brandishing two firearms while in a Dodge Caliber on an Instagram live video. The officers headed toward the scene in an unmarked vehicle. They said they saw the car backed into a parking lot space at an apartment complex in Congress Heights, and a man sprinted out of the passenger seat as soon as officers pulled into the driveway. Alvarez pursued him, running past the car, according to the audit, but stopped when he realized the man was too far ahead of him. As he turned back toward the Caliber, he saw Deon Kay, who had exited the car and was running toward him while holding a gun. At around the same moment Deon Kay threw his gun down an embankment, Alvarez's body-camera video shows him firing toward Deon Kay, striking him in the chest. The report, which was written by the Bromwich Group, a consulting firm that also conducted the previous review of deaths involving D.C. police, found that Alvarez 'unnecessarily placed himself in that situation.' It criticizes the officers for failing to develop a tactical plan before attempting to arrest the young men and for not informing their supervisors about their plans. 'When the officers came upon the Dodge, events unfolded rapidly and unpredictably — putting the officers at unnecessary risk,' according to the audit. 'Because of the way the officers proceeded, they squandered any opportunity to de-escalate the situation and limit that risk.' Although the report found Alvarez was justified in firing his weapon, 'effective policing in the moments leading up to that split second may well have prevented that split second from arriving,' Patterson wrote in a May 2021 letter to city officials. Federal prosecutors in November 2020 said they could not determine beyond a reasonable doubt that Alvarez committed 'willful violations' of federal criminal civil rights statutes. Prosecutors said they were unable to determine whether Kay threw his weapon deliberately or reflexively on being shot. Ford, Natasha Kay's attorney, said the jury looked at the same evidence and reached a different conclusion. 'You can't rely on the police to police themselves. It's not going to happen. But in the court of law, it can happen,' Ford said. 'But it boils down to jury selection and making sure you get the right people on your jury. And that's what we did.' During a September 2020 demonstration for Deon Kay, his aunt told the crowd she believes her nephew threw away his gun upon seeing police because he was scared. He had played with guns before, she said, but 'never hurt no one.' 'This ain't adding up,' his aunt, Marie Kay, said at the time. 'Justice needs to be done.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Execution of Tennessee inmate with heart device can go forward despite claims it may shock him
Tennessee can move forward with next week's scheduled execution of a condemned man with a defibrillator after the state's highest court ruled the heart device does not need to be deactivated before he is put to death. Lawyers for inmate Byron Black, 69, had argued to a Davidson County Chancery Court last month that the device, if not disabled, may try to restore his heart and prolong his suffering as he is executed by lethal injection. But the Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday reversed the lower court's ruling, finding that requiring the implanted heart regulating device to be switched off essentially amounts to a "stay of execution," which the chancery court does not have the authority to implement. The state Supreme Court justices, however, did note that there's nothing preventing the state and Black's legal team from reaching an agreement for a deactivation procedure to be done before his execution Tuesday morning. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, is installed in a patient's chest to deliver electric shocks to those with dangerously fast heartbeats and helps restore a regular rhythm. Attorneys for Black filed a request Thursday to the state Supreme Court to temporarily halt the execution, writing that he could otherwise "be subject to the severe pain and suffering of having his heart repeatedly shocked back into rhythm during his execution." One of his lawyers, Kelley Henry, also said she is asking Gov. Bill Lee to grant clemency for her client so that "Tennessee does not move forward with this gruesome spectacle." She also argued that Black is intellectually disabled and that his execution would violate the state Constitution. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend, Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. Nashville police said that Black had previously threatened harm to Clay because she was considering ending their relationship, according to her sister. Black previously faced three execution dates but those procedures were delayed, in part, because of a pause in state executions in 2022 due to issues in testing its lethal injection drugs. Tennessee resumed executions in May under a new lethal injection protocol using pentobarbital, a sedative. State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement Thursday that he will "continue fighting to seek justice for the Clay family and to hold Black accountable for his horrific crimes." He added that the state's experts do not believe Black would suffer severe pain during his execution and also rejected the description of him as being intellectually disabled. In testimony last month before the Davidson County Chancery Court, medical experts for the state and Black argued over whether his ICD would, in fact, cause prolonged pain. "Mr. Black will not be feeling the shocks as he will be in a coma" brought on by the lethal injection process, testified Dr. Litsa Lambrakos, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. But Dr. Gail Van Norman, an anesthesiology professor at the University of Washington who specializes in heart surgeries, suggested otherwise. She testified that the use of a potent amount of pentobarbital, which can cause death from respiratory failure, could unnecessarily trigger Black's defibrillator. "ICDs sometimes deliver shocks when they're not needed," she said. "This is devastating to patients." Black's execution is slated for Tuesday at 10 a.m., barring any court intervention or a reprieve from the governor. As the legal process plays out, whether Black would even find a medical professional to disable his device is unclear. At issue is also the timing of when his device would be deactivated — his health could be at risk if it were done too soon and his execution was put on hold at the last minute. Previously, a Tennessee Department of Correction official said that Nashville General Hospital would participate in such a procedure. But hospital spokeswoman Cathy Poole said the facility "has no role in state executions." "The correctional healthcare provider contracted by the Tennessee Department of Correction did not contact appropriate Nashville General Hospital leadership with its request to deactivate the implanted defibrillator," she said in a statement. "Our contract with the correctional healthcare provider is to support the ongoing medical care of its patients," Poole added. "This request is well outside of that agreement and would also require cooperation with several other entities, all of which have indicated they are unwilling to participate." The American Medical Association's code of ethics says physicians should not be forced to determine a prisoner's competency to stand execution or treat an incompetent condemned prisoner "if such activity is contrary to the physician's personal beliefs." "As a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, a physician must not participate in a legally authorized execution," the code says. While Black's case doesn't involve a doctor or hospital participating in an execution directly, the idea that the procedure is still part of the process would raise ethical questions for medical professionals, said Robin Maher, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. Black's legal team also says he suffers from other physical ailments, including advanced dementia, brain damage and kidney disease. "I fear we are going to see many more of these situations as this population grows older," Maher said of death row inmates, who can spend decades behind bars appealing their cases before they are put to death. Restoring their health, either mentally or physically, only so they can be executed presents a further moral quandary, she added. "This is the kind of case in which the governor should issue a reprieve that would be the saving grace for Mr. Black," Maher said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 hours ago
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Execution of Tennessee inmate with heart device can go forward despite claims it may shock him
Tennessee can move forward with next week's scheduled execution of a condemned man with a defibrillator after the state's highest court ruled the heart device does not need to be deactivated before he is put to death. Lawyers for inmate Byron Black, 69, had argued to a Davidson County Chancery Court last month that the device, if not disabled, may try to restore his heart and prolong his suffering as he is executed by lethal injection. But the Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday reversed the lower court's ruling, finding that requiring the implanted heart regulating device to be switched off essentially amounts to a "stay of execution," which the chancery court does not have the authority to implement. The state Supreme Court justices, however, did note that there's nothing preventing the state and Black's legal team from reaching an agreement for a deactivation procedure to be done before his execution Tuesday morning. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, is installed in a patient's chest to deliver electric shocks to those with dangerously fast heartbeats and helps restore a regular rhythm. Attorneys for Black filed a request Thursday to the state Supreme Court to temporarily halt the execution, writing that he could otherwise "be subject to the severe pain and suffering of having his heart repeatedly shocked back into rhythm during his execution." One of his lawyers, Kelley Henry, also said she is asking Gov. Bill Lee to grant clemency for her client so that "Tennessee does not move forward with this gruesome spectacle." She also argued that Black is intellectually disabled and that his execution would violate the state Constitution. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend, Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. Nashville police said that Black had previously threatened harm to Clay because she was considering ending their relationship, according to her sister. Black previously faced three execution dates but those procedures were delayed, in part, because of a pause in state executions in 2022 due to issues in testing its lethal injection drugs. Tennessee resumed executions in May under a new lethal injection protocol using pentobarbital, a sedative. State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement Thursday that he will "continue fighting to seek justice for the Clay family and to hold Black accountable for his horrific crimes." He added that the state's experts do not believe Black would suffer severe pain during his execution and also rejected the description of him as being intellectually disabled. In testimony last month before the Davidson County Chancery Court, medical experts for the state and Black argued over whether his ICD would, in fact, cause prolonged pain. "Mr. Black will not be feeling the shocks as he will be in a coma" brought on by the lethal injection process, testified Dr. Litsa Lambrakos, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. But Dr. Gail Van Norman, an anesthesiology professor at the University of Washington who specializes in heart surgeries, suggested otherwise. She testified that the use of a potent amount of pentobarbital, which can cause death from respiratory failure, could unnecessarily trigger Black's defibrillator. "ICDs sometimes deliver shocks when they're not needed," she said. "This is devastating to patients." Black's execution is slated for Tuesday at 10 a.m., barring any court intervention or a reprieve from the governor. As the legal process plays out, whether Black would even find a medical professional to disable his device is unclear. At issue is also the timing of when his device would be deactivated — his health could be at risk if it were done too soon and his execution was put on hold at the last minute. Previously, a Tennessee Department of Correction official said that Nashville General Hospital would participate in such a procedure. But hospital spokeswoman Cathy Poole said the facility "has no role in state executions." "The correctional healthcare provider contracted by the Tennessee Department of Correction did not contact appropriate Nashville General Hospital leadership with its request to deactivate the implanted defibrillator," she said in a statement. "Our contract with the correctional healthcare provider is to support the ongoing medical care of its patients," Poole added. "This request is well outside of that agreement and would also require cooperation with several other entities, all of which have indicated they are unwilling to participate." The American Medical Association's code of ethics says physicians should not be forced to determine a prisoner's competency to stand execution or treat an incompetent condemned prisoner "if such activity is contrary to the physician's personal beliefs." "As a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, a physician must not participate in a legally authorized execution," the code says. While Black's case doesn't involve a doctor or hospital participating in an execution directly, the idea that the procedure is still part of the process would raise ethical questions for medical professionals, said Robin Maher, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. Black's legal team also says he suffers from other physical ailments, including advanced dementia, brain damage and kidney disease. "I fear we are going to see many more of these situations as this population grows older," Maher said of death row inmates, who can spend decades behind bars appealing their cases before they are put to death. Restoring their health, either mentally or physically, only so they can be executed presents a further moral quandary, she added. "This is the kind of case in which the governor should issue a reprieve that would be the saving grace for Mr. Black," Maher said.
