A Bird’s Eye View of Civilians Killed by Police in 2015: Further Evidence of Shooter Bias

• In Event: Civilians Killed by U.S. Police in 2015

Abstract

We analyzed 990 police deadly shooting incidents using data compiled by The Washington Post in 2015. After first providing a basic descriptive analysis of these shootings, we then examined the data for evidence of a shooter bias effect using multivariate regression models predicting (1) whether the civilian was attacking the officer(s) or other civilians just before death, and (2) whether the civilian was unarmed. The results indicated that Hispanic/Latinos and civilians from other minority groups were significantly less likely than whites to have been attacking the officer(s) or other civilians. In addition, black civilians were more than twice as likely as white civilians to have been unarmed.

Authors

• Justin Nix, University of Louisville

• Bradley A. Campbell, University of Louisville

• Edward H. Byers, University of Louisville

• Geoffrey P. Alpert, University of South Carolina / Griffith University