Mental Health, Race, and Deadly Use of Force

This study explored the relationship between suspected mental illness and officer-involved shootings, using data from an independently sourced database. The results showed that African Americans were more likely to be victims of fatal officer-involved shootings, and this likelihood increased for those who displayed signs of mental illness. These findings highlight two important issues: the collection of data regarding officer-involved shootings should include details regarding signs of mental illness, and documentation of the type of mental health issues involved in these incidents should be improved