An NPR study from January revealed some unsurprising, yet troubling data on police violence against unarmed Black Americans.

  • 75% of the officers who shot and killed unarmed Black citizens were white.
  • 19 of the 135 officers (14%) were rookies with less than a year on their police force, including one that fatally shot an unarmed Black person within four hours of being on the force.
  • A quarter of victims were killed during traffic stops.
  • Roughly 18% of the victims suffered from a diagnosed mental illness.
  • 33 out of 135 officers were either fired or resigned; 3 officers successfully were reinstated into their position.
  • 5 of the officers went on to work for other police departments.
  • 13 out 135 were charged with murder, 2 were found guilty, 3 were acquitted and 7 have pending cases.
  • At least six officers had troubled pasts before being hired onto police departments, including drug use and domestic violence. One officer had been fired from another law enforcement agency, and at least two others were forced out.
  • Nearly 60% of the shootings occurred in the South, with more than a quarter in Texas, Georgia and Louisiana.

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