A Washington Post investigation that examined every fatal police officer shooting in the past decade found Florida ranks fourth in the nation with 27 lawmen killed.
California had the most fatal police officer shootings with 47, followed by Texas with 46. Louisiana, with the nation’s highest rate of police killings per capita, had 28.
Legally purchased firearms were involved in more officer deaths than stolen guns were, the Post found. New York, known for its tough gun laws, was the only populous state not ranked near the top of the list. New York was 13th in police killings, with 16.
“There’s such a disparity between the gun laws in different states,” Lt. Howard Schechter, head of the forensic investigation unit for Albany, N.Y., police, told the Post. “Down South, their feelings about guns and gun control are completely different. Both Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, they’re generally very easy places to get guns.”