Stolen Lives By Law Enforcement in The United States
Eric Garner (1970–2014) was a 43-year-old African American man whose death during an arrest by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on July 17, 2014, became a pivotal catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. His final words, "I can't breathe," which he repeated 11 times while being held in a chokehold, became a global rallying cry against police brutality.
DeCynthia Sonya Clements (March 18, 1983 – March 12, 2018) was a 34-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by an Elgin, Illinois police officer following an hour-long standoff on Interstate 90.
Oscar Grant III (1986–2009) was a 22-year-old African American man who was shot and killed by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle in the early hours of New Year's Day 2009. The incident occurred at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland, California, after police responded to reports of a fight on a train.
Roger Fortson was a 23-year-old Black U.S. Air Force special operations member fatally shot by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Deputy Eddie Duran in his Fort Walton Beach, FL, apartment on May 3, 2024. Responding to a false, distrubance call, the deputy shot Fortson 6 times within seconds of him opening his door holding a legally owned handgun downward.
Andrew "Tekle" Sundberg (2001–2022) was a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police snipers on July 14, 2022, following a six-hour standoff.
Tanisha Anderson was a 37-year-old Black woman from Cleveland, Ohio, who died in police custody on November 12, 2014, while experiencing a mental health crisis. Her death became a prominent case in the national conversation regarding police use of force and the response to individuals with mental illness.
Sonya Massey was a 36-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot in her Springfield, Illinois, home by a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy on July 6, 2024. The incident, captured on body camera footage, sparked national outrage and calls for police reform
Thurman Blevins (1987–2018) was a 31-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by two Minneapolis police officers on June 23, 2018. The incident occurred in North Minneapolis
Philip Quinn was a 30-year-old man who was shot and killed by St. Paul police on September 24, 2015, during a mental health crisis.
Leneal Frazier was a 40-year-old resident of Saint Paul, Minnesota, who was killed on July 6, 2021, when his vehicle was struck by a Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) squad car during a high-speed pursuit. He was the uncle of Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Andrew Joseph III was a 14-year-old boy whose 2014 death after being ejected from the Florida State Fair sparked a decade-long legal battle and national calls for police reform. In September 2022, a federal jury awarded his family $15 million in a wrongful death lawsuit, finding the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) 90% responsible for his death
Jonie Pilar Block (1989–2017) was a 27-year-old woman from Phoenix, Arizona, who was fatally shot by police on May 15, 2017
Breonna Taylor (1993–2020) was a 26-year-old Black emergency room technician who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers during a botched "no-knock" raid on her apartment on March 13, 2020. Her death, occurring just months before that of George Floyd, became a primary catalyst for the 2020 global protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
Angel Viola DeCarlo was a 31-year-old woman from Hopewell, Virginia, who was fatally shot by a police officer on December 18, 2018. Her death sparked a multi-year investigation and a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family
Monique Jenee Deckard (April 18, 1971 – March 8, 2015) was a 43-year-old woman who was fatally shot by police in Anaheim, California. Her death became notable as one of the first officer-involved shootings in Orange County to be captured on police body cameras
Kobe Dimock-Heisler a 21-year-old autistic man who was fatally shot by police officers in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on August 31, 2019. The incident occurred after officers responded to a 911 call Despite his grandfather's later attempts to cancel the call, five officers entered the home, where a struggle ensued and Dimock-Heisler was shot six times.
Miles Worner Jackson, a 24-year-old Native American man, died on July 3, 2023, after being held in the Anoka County Jail in Minnesota.
George Perry Floyd Jr. (1973–2020) was an African American man whose murder by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, sparked the largest racial justice protests in the United States since the Civil Rights era. His dying words, "I can’t breathe," became a global rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Botham Shem Jean was a 26-year-old accountant from Saint Lucia who was murdered in his own Dallas apartment on September 6, 2018, by off-duty Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. Guyger, who lived in the unit directly below Jean, claimed she mistakenly entered his apartment thinking it was her own and fired her weapon believing him to be an intruder.
Shot by police around 9:13 p.m. at a residence on Shining Willow Terrace in west Orlando. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) opened an investigation into the shooting, with findings to be reviewed by the State Attorney’s Office.
The family says Clements’ use of deadly force was unjustified, that the officer wasn’t in danger of being struck and that officers lied about what really happened that day. Gloria Black-Meadows, Anderson’s sister and administrator of her estate, filed the suit on behalf of Anderson’s three children. Claims include excessive force, conspiracy to violate civil rights, violation of the New Jersey Civil Rights Act, assault, negligence and wrongful death. Under the negligence claim, the family claims Marshalls exposed Anderson to danger by falsely claiming one of the suspects was sought for manslaughter.
Sandy Guardiola was a 48-year-old New York State parole officer who was fatally shot by a police officer in her home during a wellness check in October 2017. Her death became a focal point for discussions regarding police conduct during welfare checks and was highlighted by social justice movements lik
Korryn Gaines (1992–2016) was a 23-year-old Black woman from Randallstown, Maryland, who was fatally shot by Baltimore County police on August 1, 2016. Her death occurred during a six-hour standoff at her apartment
Charleena Lyles was a 30-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by two Seattle police officers in her apartment on June 18, 2017. At the time of her death, she was four months pregnant and three of her four children were present in the home.
One officer fired a bean bag at her in an unsuccessful bid to disable her, and another officer soon shot her. Adams was taken to a hospital but died there a short time later.
In November 2021, 21-year-old Noah Douglas Kelley was fatally shot by police during an incident at Merwin Liquors in Mounds View, Minnesota.
Cordale Quinn Handy was a 29-year-old man from Illinois who was fatally shot by St. Paul police officers on March 15, 2017. His death became a focal point for police accountability in Minnesota, leading to years of legal battles that recently concluded with a record-setting multi-million dollar payout from the city of St. Paul in late 2025.
Tony Edward May Jr., a 26-year-old man from Red Lake, died in custody at the Beltrami County Jail on August 11, 2016. He was discovered unresponsive in his cell around 6:50 a.m. by cellmates, who then alerted jail staff. Despite immediate lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sandra Bland was a 28-year-old African American woman whose 2015 death in a Texas jail sparked nationwide protests and became a central catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement
Deborah Danner (1950–2016) was a 66-year-old Black woman from the Bronx, New York, who became a central figure in discussions regarding police reform and mental health after she was fatally shot by NYPD Sergeant Hugh Barry on October 18, 2016. Danner, who lived with schizophrenia, was experiencing a mental health crisis in her apartment when police were called to the scene.
Michael Brown was an 18-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri. The incident and the subsequent decision not to indict Wilson sparked weeks of intense protests and civil unrest, becoming a pivotal moment for the Black Lives Matter movement and a national catalyst for discussions on racial profiling and police accountability
Marcus Golden was a 24-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by St. Paul police officers on January 14, 2015, in the parking lot of an apartment building. The case concluded in January 2023 with a $1.3 million settlement between the City of St. Paul and Golden’s family.
Rodney King (1965–2012) was an Black American man who became a national symbol of police brutality and racial injustice after a bystander videotaped his brutal beating by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers following a high-speed chase on March 3, 1991. The acquittal of the four white officers involved in 1992 sparked the Los Angeles riots, one of the most destructive civil uprisings in U.S. history.
Ricky Cobb II was a 33-year-old man who was fatally shot by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper during a traffic stop on July 31, 2023, in Minneapolis.
Tamir E. Rice, a twelve year old African-American boy, was killed in Cleveland, Ohio, by Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old white patrolman with the Cleveland Division of Police
epsi Lee Heinl (also known by her family as Pepsi Benjamin) was a 41-year-old Saint Paul, Minnesota woman who was fatally shot by police on May 6, 2024, during a mental health crisis. On April 28, 2025,
She was shot once in the back of the head. She was shot once in the back.
Terrance Franklin was a 22-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police on May 10, 2013. Family & Attorney's Counter-Account: Attorney Mike Padden and Franklin's family alleged the shooting was an "execution" after Franklin had already surrendered. They pointed to a bystander's cellphone video that reportedly captured a police officer using a racial slur and Franklin pleading for his life. Forensic analysis suggested the two officers may have been wounded by "friendly fire" or accidental discharge rather than by Franklin. Legal Outcome: In early 2020, the City of Minneapolis reached a $795,000 settlement with Franklin's family to resolve a wrongful death lawsuit. Renewed Interest: Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the case received renewed scrutiny. Although a 2021 TIME documentary highlighted inconsistencies in the police narrative, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) declined to reinvestigate in July 2021, stating there was no new evidence
James Lowrey, a 40-year-old Black man from Florida who was shot and killed by a Titusville police officer on December 26, 2021.
A woman was killed in Dayton in an officer-involved shooting
Atatiana Jefferson was a 28-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by a police officer in her own home in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 12, 2019. The incident occurred while she was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew. Police were called to the residence by a neighbor for a welfare check because the front door was open. Officer Aaron Dean and his partner arrived but did not announce themselves. Hearing noises outside, Jefferson picked up her handgun to investigate. Dean, peering through a window with a flashlight, shouted, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!" and immediately fired a single shot that killed her.
William "Billy" Hughes, a 43-year-old member of the White Earth Nation, was shot and killed by St. Paul police officers on August 5, 2018, at his home in the Summit-University neighborhood.
Hardel Sherrell was a 27-year-old man who died from medical neglect in the Beltrami County Jail in Minnesota on September 2, 2018. His death, caused by complications of Guillain-Barré syndrome (a treatable autoimmune disorder), became a catalyst for significant statewide jail reforms.
Daunte Wright was a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop on April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The incident occurred in the midst of the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, significantly heightening local and national tensions.
India Beaty was a 25-year-old mother of four who was shot and killed by police officers in Norfolk, Virginia, in the early morning hours of March 19, 2016. The shooting occurred in a shopping center parking lot on Shore Drive during a surveillance operation unrelated to her.
Janisha Fonville (1994–2015) was a 20-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer on February 18, 2015. Her death became a focal point for the #SayHerName campaign, which raises awareness for Black women killed by police.
Ronald Greene (1969–2019) was a 49-year-old Black man who died in Louisiana State Police custody on May 10, 2019, following a high-speed chase and a violent arrest near Monroe. While police initially told his family he died from injuries sustained in a car crash, leaked body camera footage in 2021 revealed he was beaten, stunned with Tasers, and dragged by his ankle shackles while handcuffed and pleading for his life
Amir Locke was a 22-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer on February 2, 2022, during the execution of a no-knock search warrant. Locke was not the subject of the warrant; he was sleeping on a couch in his cousin's apartment when a SWAT team entered
Alexia Christian was a 25-year-old woman who died on April 30, 2015, following a confrontation with the Atlanta Police Department.