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Crime

German police shot dead 14 people in 2017

Alexander Pearson
June 29, 2018

Police throughout Germany fired a total of 75 times at people in 2017. The resulting deaths were far fewer than the United States, where more than 950 people died as a result of police shootings.

https://p.dw.com/p/30Vrh
German police officer with a pistol
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Berg

Police throughout Germany shot dead 14 people and injured 39 in 2017, according to new figures by the German Police College.

The numbers, seen by German news agency dpa, showed an upward trend in police shooting deaths in recent years:

  • 2016: Eleven dead and 28 injured.
  • 2015: Ten dead and 22 injured.
  • 2014: Seven dead and 30 injured.
  • 2013: Eight dead and 20 injured.

Read more: Bremen police hunt suspect after man killed in supermarket shooting

In 2017, 13 of the 14 deaths resulted from police shooting either to defend themselves or others in a life-threatening situation. The remaining death stemmed from police trying to stop a suspect from escaping.

Figures seen by the Funke media group showed police fired a total of 75 times at people in 2017 ― or once every five days.

The figures for Germany were far lower than the United States, where police shot dead 987 people in 2017, according to The Washington Post.

Read more: Three people shot dead in German town of Bayreuth

Ten shots were also fired accidentally by German police, and two shots were fired by officers attempting to commit suicide.