ABSTRACT
Suicide-by-cop raises several legal issues and can cause problems for law enforcement agencies. The relatives of the perpetrator of a suicide-by-cop incident can sue the law enforcement agency for unjustifiably killing the suspect, and, if he survives, so can the perpetrator. Suicides are found to have experienced more life stress than nonsuicidal people, and the stress has increased further in the period leading up to the suicide. In Saunders v. City of Santa Rosa, et al., Robert Homant and his colleagues noted that Saunders, in a suicide-by-cop situation, was shot and killed by police, after which it was found that he was unarmed. The age and sex of the perpetrator were unrelated to real danger, perceived danger, or a fatal outcome. In 1998, the United States Supreme Court held that cities can be sued for inadequate police training that leads to death or injury, even in situations where suicidal individuals threaten police officers with weapons.
