Department of Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science, Nashville, Tennessee; Program in Public Policy Studies, Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science, Nashville, Tennessee.
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Am J Prev Med. 2024 Oct;67(4):512-520. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.05.021. Epub 2024 Jun 4.
Much research on shootings by police has focused on urban jurisdictions, but most U.S. law enforcement agencies are not located in cities. Prior research suggests that rates of fatal shootings by police are comparable between urban and nonurban areas. Yet, shooting characteristics across the urban-rural continuum are unknown. This study describes and compares fatal and nonfatal injurious shootings by officers in U.S. urban, suburban, and rural areas from 2015 to 2020.
Characteristics of fatal and nonfatal injurious shootings by police were abstracted from Gun Violence Archive. In 2023-2024, using ZIP-code and county-based rurality designations, the national distribution, incidence, and characteristics of injurious shootings by police were compared across urban, suburban, and rural areas of the U.S.
Rates of injurious shootings in rural areas approached or exceeded those of urban rates. As rurality increased, proportionately more injurious shootings involved single responders, sheriffs, or multiple agency types. Across the urban-rural continuum, characteristics of precipitating incidents were similar. Injurious shootings were most frequently preceded by domestic violence incidents, traffic stops, or shots-fired reports; co-occurring behavioral health needs were common. After accounting for local demographic differences, Black, indigenous, and Hispanic residents were injured at higher rates than White residents in all examined areas.
Shootings by police represent an overlooked and inequitable source of injury in rural areas. Broadly similar incident characteristics suggest potential for wide-reaching reforms. To prevent injuries, crisis prevention, dispatch, and response systems must assure proportionate rural-area coverage. In addition, legislative prevention and accountability measures should include sheriffs' offices for optimal rural-area impact.
许多关于警察枪击事件的研究都集中在城市司法管辖区，但大多数美国执法机构并不位于城市。先前的研究表明，警察致命枪击事件的发生率在城市和非城市地区之间相当。然而，整个城乡连续体的枪击特征尚不清楚。本研究描述并比较了 2015 年至 2020 年美国城市、郊区和农村地区警察致命和非致命伤害性枪击事件。
从枪支暴力档案中提取警察致命和非致命伤害性枪击事件的特征。在 2023-2024 年，根据邮政编码和基于县的农村指定，比较了美国城市、郊区和农村地区警察伤害性枪击事件的全国分布、发生率和特征。
农村地区伤害性枪击事件的发生率接近或超过城市水平。随着农村地区的发展，涉及单一响应者、治安官或多个机构类型的伤害性枪击事件的比例相应增加。在城乡连续体中，引发事件的特征相似。伤害性枪击事件最常发生在家庭暴力事件、交通拦截或枪击报告之前；常见的共同行为健康需求。在考虑到当地人口统计差异后，在所有检查区域中，黑人、原住民和西班牙裔居民受伤的比例高于白人居民。
警察枪击事件是农村地区被忽视和不平等的伤害来源。广泛相似的事件特征表明存在广泛的改革潜力。为了防止受伤，危机预防、调度和响应系统必须确保农村地区的比例覆盖。此外，立法预防和问责措施应包括治安官办公室，以实现对农村地区的最佳影响。
