Police officers in Philadelphia tend to shoot at unarmed black suspects more than unarmed white suspects, and the officers involved in those cases were more likely black, a recent report found.
Among all the races, unarmed black suspects were the most likely to be shot by officers. But the rate differed slightly depending on who was behind the barrel.
The rate at which black officers shot at unarmed black suspects was 11.6% of the time, while the rate for white officers was 6.8%. Hispanic officers had the highest rate, at 16.7 percent. There were no reported shootings involving Asian officers.
Officer shootings were more likely to take place in high-crime areas of the city, where police activity is higher and the likelihood of encountering a violent suspect is higher.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 173-page report Monday evaluating the Philadelphia Police Department’s use of deadly force. They found that black suspects made up the overwhelming majority (81%) of the 394 incidents where officers shot someone during the period from 2007 to 2014.
The Philly police department explained on its website that officers use deadly force when engaged in dangerous situations where they feel “all lesser means of force have failed or could not be reasonably employed.”
