How Many People Are Killed by Police in the U.S.?

The Washington Post counted 1,153 people in the U.S. who were shot and killed by police in 2023. In previous years, about as many people - around 1,000 annually - have died this way. As the below infographic shows, most of those killed by police were male and armed. While the race of more than a third of those killed by police in 2023 is not known, 372 of the deceased were white, while 213 were Black. This equals 53 percent and 30 percent, respectively, of those for whom a race is known. The share of Black people is elevated here, keeping in mind that only close to 14 percent of Americans belong to that race group.

Around 60 percent of those shot and killed by police carried a gun themselves. But in the case of more than 180 people, they were either unarmed or it is unknown whether they carried a weapon. In 27 cases, the deceased had been seen with a replica weapon that was mistaken for the real thing.

Out of the 1,153 killed, 147 were listed as having shown signs of mental illness.