(CNS News) -- Forty-eight police officers were feloniously killed in 2019, according to FBI data, which means they died in the line of duty as a result of felonious incidents. Over the last decade (2010-19) there were 511 felonious deaths of police officers, nearly one every week.
In 2019, a total of 89 police officers died, where 48 were felonious and 41 were accidental. Over the last ten years (2010-2019), there were 1,114 police officer deaths: 511 were felonious and 503 were accidental.
Almost every suspect in connection with a felonious police death had a criminal history. The FBI identified 49 responsible assailants in connection to the 48 felonious deaths in 2019, and among those assailants, 36 had previously been arrested and 12 were under judicial supervision.
The assailants or “offenders” used firearms in 44 of the 48 deaths, and vehicles in the remaining four deaths. Most of the weapons were handguns but seven officers were killed with rifles, and one with a shotgun.
Of the 48 felonious officer deaths in 2019, 45 were male and 3 were female. Of the assailants, 48 were male and 1 was female.
These deaths occurred in 19 states and in Puerto Rico. The average age of the officers feloniously killed was 40.
When separated by race, 40 of the killed officers (felonious deaths) were white; 7 were black; and 1 was Asian. Among the 49 assailants, 28 were white; 15 were black; and 1 was native Hawaiian/Pacific islander.
The race of the officers and assailants throughout the decade mirrored those in 2019.
For the officers, 442 were white; 55 were black; and 6 were Asian. The FBI identified 537 assailants in connection to the 511 deaths. Among those assailants, 303 were white; 199 were black, and 3 were Asian.
The felonious deaths regionally skewed south, with 27 of the deaths (56%) taking place in the South, while 9 deaths took place in both the Midwest and West (19%).
The deaths throughout the decade follow the same trend. The South accounted for 231 of the 511 total felonious deaths, making up 45%. The Midwest was responsible for 19% deaths (99) and the West totaled 21% of the deaths (110).
Each year the FBI collects and releases statistics on the deaths of active police officers who died in the line-of-duty. The deaths categorized as felonious are deaths purposefully committed by an assailant or assailants. The data only includes law enforcement officers who carried a badge and firearm, had arrest powers, and were acting in an official capacity.