Eleven law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in the first quarter of 2023—a 31.3% decrease from the first quarter of 2022. Firearms were used in all but one of the felonious deaths in 2023. Four of the deaths in 2023 were related to investigation and/or enforcement, and three were related to pursuit.
Seven law enforcement officers died under accidental circumstances in the line of duty in the first quarter of 2023—a 65% decrease from the first quarter of 2022. Four of these accidental deaths were due to motor vehicle accidents, two were due to an aircraft crash, and one was due to a fall.
To date, the Midwest region has had the most felonious line-of-duty deaths in 2023 (four deaths), while the South has had the most accidental line-of-duty deaths (five deaths). 2023 had the lowest first-quarter line-of-duty-death total (felonious deaths plus accidental deaths) in the last five calendar years.
Although not represented in the tables below, four law enforcement officers died from medical conditions in the first quarter of 2023. Their causes of death were, as follows:
- Two officers died due to cancer.
- One officer died from illnesses related to COVID-19.
- One officer died from other natural causes.