A disproportionate number of the shootings are by white police officers against people of color, as in the cases of Adam Toledo, Ma’Khia Bryant and Tyrell Wilson. The number of people killed by the police in the United States - consistently about 1,000 a year - is far higher than in other developed countries. While most agree that officers must sometimes use deadly force to protect themselves or others, many criminologists say the wide latitude under the rule is an obstacle to reducing the number of police killings, and lawmakers in Congress and many states have begun seeking tighter restrictions. But as in almost every other recent case involving questions of police use of force, law enforcement officials defending the officers are relying on a doctrine set forth by the Supreme Court three decades ago and now deeply ingrained in police culture: that judges and juries should not second-guess officers’ split-second decisions, no matter how unnecessary a killing may appear in hindsight.
The officers’ justification for the use of lethal force in each instance differs with the circumstances. Tyrell Wilson, a 33-year-old mentally ill homeless man in Danville, Calif., had a knife in hand when he shouted “Kill me” at an approaching deputy sheriff.Īll three were among more than 100 people shot and killed by the police over the previous six weeks. Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old in Columbus, Ohio, lunged with a knife at another teenager. In case after case, it took only a split second for an officer to pull the trigger.Īdam Toledo, a 13-year-old in Chicago, had tossed away a handgun and begun raising his hands.