Five killed, 18 hurt in police shootings last year

Last year, five people were killed and 18 people were injured in a total of 22 police-involved shootings, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Thursday.

In 2019, police officers were involved in 16 shootings in which four people died. The year before that there were 27 shootings with three deaths, in 2017 there were 23 shootings and three deaths, and in 2016 there were 34 shootings and four deaths.

All incidents in which a cop fires their service weapon are investigated by the Rijksrecherche, an investigation department that forms part of the OM and handles internal investigations at government services like the police. Based on this investigation, the OM determines whether the use of the police firearm was justified.

The OM did not say whether any of last year's police shootings were considered unjustified.