Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Report: Los Angeles police killed 14 people in 2022

In 2022 Los Angeles police shot and killed 14 people — 60% of everyone struck by officers’ bullets

Stefanie Dazio
Wednesday 05 April 2023 15:36 EDT
Los Angeles Police Shootings
Los Angeles Police Shootings (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

In 2022, Los Angeles police shot and killed 14 people — 60% of everyone who was struck by officers' bullets — according to a report released Wednesday.

LAPD officers opened fire 31 times last year, striking 23 people and missing their target in eight other situations, the department's annual Use of Force report shows.

The statistics show decreases in police shootings since 2021, when officers fired their weapons 37 times. In 2021, 31 people were struck, and 17 of those were killed.

In eight of the 31 events of 2022, the person opened fire at the officers or bystanders, according to the report. The suspect had a gun in 10 other situations but did not shoot. In five instances, officers believed the person had a gun but none was ultimately found.

Officers also opened fire eight times when the suspect had a weapon other than a gun, the report said.

Although the agency is routinely criticized for its violence, figures from the last five years show that police shootings are significantly down from the early-to-mid 1990s. Officers opened fire 115 times in 1990, and 108 times in 1992 before decreasing later in the decade.

But Los Angeles police fatally shot more people in 2021 and 2022 — 17 and 14 people respectively — than comparable law enforcement agencies, including the New York Police Department and the Chicago Police Department.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in