In 2019, 933 people were shot by police officers. That’s less than the 992 that were shot in 2018. While not all of those shootings were unjustified, the high number of citizens being shot by police is still concerning.
As we’ve seen countless times every year, African Americans are shot and killed by police officers at a significantly higher rate than Whites. In many instances, African Americans are shot and killed during police encounters where they displayed no violence toward the officer and possessed no weapon. The killing of Botham Jean in his own home by Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger highlights the crisis African American men face when encountering police.
According to a new study, getting killed by the police is now the seventh leading cause of cause of death for African American men in their mid 20s. The study found that African American men have a greater chance of getting shot by the police than they do of winning a scratch-off lottery ticket. During an African American male’s lifetime, he faces a higher risk of being killed by a police officer, at a rate of 96 per 100,000 deaths. White males face a lower rate of 39 per 100,000 deaths. And this is despite African American males making up a lower percentage of the population.
Millions of dollars are paid out every year to the families of victims of police shootings. Chicago, alone, has paid more than $520 million to the victims of police misconduct over the last decade. While this money will not bring back the victims of police brutality, police settlements have become one of the main vehicles to get justice for victims. Civil rights and police brutality attorneys have long fought for victims of police brutality to receive the justice they deserve. However, what is needed is not more police brutality settlements, but rather equal treatment of citizens when encountering law enforcement.
Let’s hope 2020 sees lower numbers of African American citizens being shot and killed by police.
Get justice if you been the victim of police misconduct or brutality. Contact the Law Office of Julian Johnson today.
