ABSTRACT
Any shooting deliberately induced by a subject (intentionally forcing a confrontation with an ocer which leaves the ocer no choice but to use deadly force) is classied as a suicide-by-cop (SbC).1
According to a report released in 1983 of 99 ocer-involved shootings (OISs) in Los Angeles County by Dr. Karl Harris, former Los Angeles County Deputy Medical Examiner, between 10% and 25% of all the shootings he studied involved suicide attempts.2 Harris also found that 50% of the weapons used to threaten ocers in the SbC incidents he studied were rearms. Because the overwhelming majority of the rearms were operative and loaded, it can reasonably be concluded that SbC incidents can be very hazardous to the responding ocers.
