WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (UPI) — The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund said 64 police officers were killed with firearms in 2016 though Tuesday — a 68 percent increase from the same period last year.
In total, 139 officers died nationwide — 64 from firearms-related incidents, 53 from traffic-related incidents and 22 from other causes, which the NLEOMF said include incidents such as drowning and falls.
The most fatalities by state occurred in Texas, where 18 officers were killed. In July, five white police officers were killed by Micah Xavier Johnson, a black Army Reserve Afghan War veteran whose alleged motive was retaliation for police shootings of black men.
Ten officers died in California, while nine died in Louisiana, where three Baton Rogue police officers were killed by gunman Gavin Eugene Long in July.
The most recent officer fatality NLEOMF reported was that of Miller County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer Lisa Mauldin, who was attacked by an inmate at the Miller County Detention Center.
