L.A. police killings: Tracking homicides in Los Angeles County since 2000 - Los Angeles Times

Police have killed 1018 people in L.A. County since 2000

Since 2000, at least 1018 people have been killed by law enforcement in Los Angeles County, according to homicide records from the county medical examiner-coroner. The Times has compiled them all into this database, which will update with the latest cases.

Almost all of the dead were men, nearly 80% were Black or Latino. More than 92% were shot to death.

Criminal charges are rare. In nearly all cases, the use of force was deemed legally justified by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, which conducts an investigation into each incident. Between 2000 and 2020, only two officers have been charged as a result of shooting a civilian while on duty.

The trend over time

Over the last 24 years, police in Los Angeles County have killed about four people each month. The number has varied but remains relatively steady, averaging roughly 42 people per year.

Deaths by year
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Times analysis

The number of people killed each year has ranged from a low of 32 in 2001 to a high of 55 in 2011 and 2013. Here is how this year's count compares:

Cumulative deaths over the course of each year
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Times analysis

How prosecutors respond

The Times is also tracking how prosecutors handle police killings. How often are officers charged with a crime? Learn the facts by visting our database tracking decisions by the L.A. County district attorney since 2004.

Who is being killed

Some populations are disproportionately affected by police violence. Men between the ages of 20 and 39 account for nearly all of the deaths.

Black people make up less than 10% of L.A. County’s population, yet they represent a 24% of law enforcement killings. Conversely, white people, who make up more than a quarter of the population, are killed in 18% of the incidents.

Percentage of population vs. deaths
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, U.S. Census, Times analysis

Where it happens

Killings by law enforcement have occurred across Los Angeles County. Police killings are more concentrated in areas with large numbers of Black and Latino residents such as , Long Beach and Compton.

Everyone who has died

Here is the complete list of every police killing deemed a homicide by the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner’s office and logged by The Times' Homicide Report.

Support the Homicide Report

Times reporter Nicole Santa Cruz tracks the death of every person killed by another in Los Angeles County for the Homicide Report, which is free to all readers.

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