NCJ Number
203823
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 51 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 66-69
Date Published
December 2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses cases of officer shootings due to a suspect's irrational and puzzling threatening behavior that causes the officer to fire his/her firearm in self-defense.
Abstract
In an increasing number of cases, a police shooting does not fit into traditional case categories of anger, escape, or even "suicide by cop." These cases typically involve individuals with no criminal background who have acted out in a violent or threatening manner that has warranted police intervention. The subjects are armed or refuse to show their hands. In all cases, the individual refuses to comply with the officer's clear orders to cease resisting and threatening behavior while the officer is pointing his or her firearm at the subject. There is usually a period of armed standoff, often at a conversational distance. The suspect may be under the influence of alcohol or another drug or have a mental illness. The characteristic attitude is one of persistent refusal to behave according to the officer's commands with little if any awareness of the severe consequences of such rebellious resistance. At some point, the subject decides to challenge the officer with an abrupt or threatening move as if daring the officer to act. The result is an officer shooting brought on by the offender's actions. This article classifies such a shooting as "death by indifference," i.e., the subject does not care if his or her actions result in being wounded or killed.