Death by Police Shooting in Australia: Understanding Lethal Force Decisions Through a Sequence Analysis of Behavior

Police officers’ use of lethal force is scrutinized to determine the appropriateness of the decision to shoot. However, surprisingly little research has systematically examined the sequence of behaviors that leads to this decision. This study content analyzed coronial reports of 58 deaths by police...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Porter, Louise E. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Homicide studies
Year: 2023, Volume: 27, Issue: 1, Pages: 167-186
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Keywords:
suicide by cop
police firearms
fatal force
Lethal force
officer involved shooting
Police shooting
Description
Summary:Police officers’ use of lethal force is scrutinized to determine the appropriateness of the decision to shoot. However, surprisingly little research has systematically examined the sequence of behaviors that leads to this decision. This study content analyzed coronial reports of 58 deaths by police shooting in Australia, coding behavioral and situational features. A novel sequence analysis method—the proximity coefficient—was used to determine the proximities of police and subject behaviors to interpret how police firearm presentation and discharge may be influenced by preceding actions. Theoretical implications and practical applications for preventing fatal outcomes are discussed.
ISSN:1552-6720
DOI:10.1177/10887679221123084