ABSTRACT
Suicide-by-cop is a lethal method of committing suicide because the would-be suicide knows that police officers are trained in the use of guns, are certain to have a gun, and will fire in life-threatening situations. In 1990 in the United States, 289 people were killed by “legal intervention” using a firearm. If the 10 percent estimate for suicide-by-cop is valid, this suggests that about 29 incidents of suicide-by-cop might have occurred that year. Clinton Van Zandt described the profile of the typical suicide-by-cop as follows. He is from the lower social classes and uses aggression as a way of responding to problems. He is seeking death because of depression and guilt, despair, or a desire to punish society for the wrongs it has committed against him. Kris Mohandie and Reid Meloy suggested that suicide-by-cop could be viewed as an expressive behaviour.
