NCJ Number
234651
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 664-668
Date Published
May 2011
Length
5 pages
Annotation
An analysis of suicide by cop (SBC) among female subjects in a large sample (n = 707) of officer-involved shootings (OIS) is reported.
Abstract
Women represented 3 percent of the total sample (n = 21) and 5 percent (n = 12) of the 256 SBC cases. Therefore, 57 percent of the women (n = 12) were classified as SBC, and 81 percent of the women (n = 17) behaviorally evidenced some suicidal motivation. The results underscore that when a female subject becomes involved in a situation leading to an OIS, there is a very high likelihood that she is motivated to be intentionally killed. She is almost guaranteed to have a diagnosed mental disorder, has been prescribed psychiatric medications, and is abusing a substance at the time, most likely alcohol. Nevertheless, she also poses a serious risk of injury to both police officers and civilians during the encounter and will possess a firearm half the time. The wish for suicide is often precipitated by serious relationship issues. Comparisons are made to the male subjects in our previous study. (Published Abstract)