Police Violence: How Many Americans Have Been Killed by Police in 2026?

How Many People Are Killed by Police Each Year?

Police in the United States killed 1,202 people in 2025,  a roughly five percent decrease from 2024’s high of 1,270. This marked the first year-over-year decline since 2021. As of March, 201 people were killed by police in 2026.

For comparison: in England and Wales, with a population of about 60 million, police fatally shot just two people in all of 2024-2025. In California alone, with a population of about 39 million, officers fatally shot 143 people in 2025.

Source: Mapping Police Violence

What happened in 2024? The 2024 peak came amid high-profile cases that renewed national attention on the issue. Among them was the May 2024 shooting of Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old U.S. Air Force senior airman who was killed in his Fort Walton Beach, Florida apartment doorway by a sheriff’s deputy responding to a reported disturbance. Body camera footage showed Fortson holding a legally-owned firearm at his side when he opened the door. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s own internal investigation concluded that Fortson “did not make any hostile, attacking movements” and that the use of deadly force “was not objectively reasonable”; the deputy was fired and later charged with manslaughter.

Unlike the case of Roger Fortson, most officers are not charged with crimes. In 99 percent of cases in 2025, officers involved were not charged with crimes, a figure consistent across recent years of Mapping Police Violence data.

What Typically Causes Death in Fatal Police Encounters?

Gunshot is by far the most common cause of death, accounting for 94 percent of all fatal police encounters in 2025. Physical restraint, taser, and vehicle account for most remaining deaths.

Source: 2025 Police Violence Report, Mapping Police Violence.

In 2025, 29 percent of those killed by police were actively fleeing at the time of their death. Another 11 percent were unarmed, approximately one in five showed signs of mental illness, and about two percent were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. At least 116 people were killed after police responded specifically to reports of someone behaving erratically or experiencing a mental health crisis, a category researchers note could be significantly reduced through alternative crisis response programs. Ninety-four percent of those killed were male.

Which Cities Have the Highest Rates of Police Killings?

Of course, large cities have the most police-involved killings in terms of raw numbers, but population-adjusted rates tell a different story. Among all cities with populations of at least 100,000 people, Houston, Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Jacksonville, Florida had the most people killed by police, with 19, 16, and 12 deaths, respectively, in 2025. Given their size, New York and Los Angeles had high total deaths but some of the lowest rates per million residents. Pueblo, Colorado, and Orlando, Florida had the highest per-capita rates among cities with 100,000 or more residents.

Source: 2025 Police Violence Report, Mapping Police Violence.

Albuquerque’s rate of 28.6 per million stands out even in this company. The city has been under a federal DOJ consent decree since 2014, following a finding of a pattern of unconstitutional use of deadly force.  Despite nearly $40 million spent on reform efforts over a decade — including mandatory body cameras, extensive new training, and stricter use-of-force policies — the department’s shooting rate has not meaningfully declined.

Some local advocates point to a severe shortage of mental health resources in New Mexico, as well as a lack of training and misdirection of state funds. However, in recent years, Albuquerque has developed a specialized non-law enforcement crisis response unit to handle mental health and homelessness issues that previously would have been handled by local police.

Which States Have the Highest Rates of Police Killings?

Alaska led all states at 13.6 deaths per million residents in 2025, followed by New Mexico (12.8) and the District of Columbia (10.2). Rhode Island recorded zero deaths for the year. Texas, despite having the highest absolute total police-involved civilian deaths in 2024, dropped 27 percent in 2025. Oklahoma surged 55 percent year-over-year — the largest increase of any state. Several states, including Ohio, Washington, and Montana, saw substantial declines.

Source: 2025 Police Violence Report, Mapping Police Violence.

States with lower rates of police-involved deaths, such as New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, tend to have larger urban departments with more training resources and stronger oversight structures. In New Jersey’s case, the state has one of the most robust use-of-force reporting systems in the country, which may contribute to its success in reducing police violence.

Racial Disparities in Police Killings

Today, Black Americans make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for 24 percent of those killed by police in 2025. White Americans were killed at roughly their population share on an absolute basis, but at a significantly lower rate when adjusted for population. Asian Americans were killed at substantially lower rates than their population proportion.

Source: 2025 Police Violence Report, Mapping Police Violence. U.S. Census Bureau.

Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that about one in 1,000 Black men can expect to be killed by police over their lifetime — roughly 2.5 times the rate for white men. Researchers at The Sentencing Project point to several contributing factors: Black Americans experience disproportionately high rates of police contact, including investigatory traffic stops not triggered by criminal activity. According to Mapping Police Violence data, Black people who are unarmed are more likely to be killed than unarmed white people in similar circumstances.

What Age Group is Most Likely to Experience Police Violence?

Adults between 30 and 44 account for the largest share of those killed by police in 2025 at 41 percent. People 60 and older represent eight percent, and those under 18 account for one percent.

Source: 2025 Police Violence Report, Mapping Police Violence.

Research from PNAS found that the risk of being killed by police peaks between the ages of 20 and 35 for all racial groups and applies to both men and women. The NAACP reports that fatal police violence is the sixth leading cause of death for men aged 25 to 29 across all racial groups. Additionally, a Brookings Institution analysis found that young Black men aged 18–29 are killed at five times the rate of white men in the same age group.

What Is Being Done to Reduce Fatal Encounters?

In 2025, the current presidential administration moved to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville following the high-profile police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Meanwhile, reform efforts have accelerated at the state level. According to a June 2025 report from the Stanford Center for Racial Justice, 45 states have enacted reform-oriented policing laws since 2020, with at least 31 specifically addressing use of force. The share of departments prohibiting chokeholds has grown from 22 percent to 92 percent since 2015–16, and the share of departments with duty-to-intervene policies has expanded from 29 percent to 93 percent. About 48 percent of departments have raised the bar and adopted a “necessary” standard for use of force.

In 2025, Hawaii signed legislation (HB227) restricting vehicle pursuits to certain serious crimes and prohibiting officers from shooting at or from moving vehicles. If passed, New York’s Senate Bill S5741 would further limit the circumstances justifying deadly force and require verbal warnings where feasible; it is currently in committee. New Jersey operates one of the most comprehensive statewide use-of-force tracking systems in the country, requiring all 500+ agencies to report any use of force within 24 hours.

While local and federal governments continue to pursue well-needed reforms to protect police officers and civilians from violence, here are a few tips from the American Civil Liberties Union to reduce risk during police encounters:

1. Stay calm and composed, even if you do not feel calm on the inside. If you’re in a car, pull over promptly, open the window partially, and be prepared to show your license, registration, and insurance info.
2. Avoid sudden movements. Don’t run or resist, and keep your hands visible to officers. During a traffic stop, place your hands on the steering wheel. Front-seat passengers should place their hands on the dashboard.
3. Don’t lie or produce false documents. You generally have the right to remain silent or request an attorney, but outright lying can create additional legal issues.
4. If you’re arrested, even if you think it’s an unfair arrest, don’t resist officers and follow all of their commands.