Suicide by Cop

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A popular term for the intentional use by an individual of threatening behaviour toward law enforcement officers, such that they kill the individual in what they believe is self-defence

References in periodicals archive ?

Suicide by cop: committing suicide by provoking police to shoot you.

Suicide by cop: what motivates those who choose this method

Blum, "Suicide by Cop," Annals of Emergency Medicine 32 (1998): 665-669; V.B.

Responding to persons with mental illness

But it added that none of these shortcomings contributed to Mr Saunders' death on May 6, 2008, and that it could not be proved the barrister was trying to commit "suicide by cop".

Barrister shooting lawful - inquest

The jury added, however, that none of these shortcomings contributed to Mr Saunders' death on May 6 2008, and that it could not be proved the barrister was trying to commit suicide by cop.

Shotgun siege barrister 'was 'lawfully killed' ...but police operation was bungled, says inquest jury

In the 1990s, top homicide investigation experts such as Vern Geberth, NYPD Retired, and the FBI's Clint Van Zandt had popularized the term that stuck: "Suicide by Cop."

Suicide by cop: the Chris Raper incident

All of us who are involved with delinquent and criminal systems know of cases of "suicide by cop." This occurs when a person points a gun at a police officer, who then shoots him.

Fink! still at large: a recent report on suicide in the U.S. Army shows that suicidal behaviors are more common among young, unmarried soldiers. What factors might make young people more vulnerable?

Experts who have studied both suicide by cop and jailhouse suicides have documented the growth of the problem.

Law enforcement in crossfire: when police officers carry out their jobs, confrontation with suspects can lead to tragic outcomes. These often result in lawsuits for the officers' employers, as well as personal crisis for the officers themselves. But training, assessment and accreditation can help manage the risk

A 19-year-old US Marine committed 'suicide by cop' rather than return to Iraq, police said.

Marine chose 'cop suicide' over Iraq

The "suicide by cop" verdict was described as "perverse and dangerous" by experts who investigate deaths involving armed police.

'Suicide by cop' verdict

However, suicide by cop is easily distinguishable from "suicide by armed citizen." The former occurs after the killer has accomplished his self-assigned mission; the latter is either mid-massacre or, with luck, before innocent life is lost.

Letters

"suicide by cop" as possible further evidence of blacks'

Canaan land: a religious history of African Americans. (Winter Books: faith with a liberating edge: Two books look at African-American religion yesterday and today)

In one letter McVeigh referred to his impending execution as a version of "suicide by cop"; he has planned as his last words William Henley's war horse "Invictus": "I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul." It's taken another spectacular FBI blunder to puncture McVeigh's grand delusion.