3 May 2017, 12:25 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Sixty-six US police officers were killed in 2016 while in line of duty representing an increase of more than 60% compared to the previous year, the US Federal of Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a report.
"Offenders used firearms in 62 of the 66 felonious deaths," a press release accompanying the report said on Monday. "These included 37 incidents with handguns, 24 incidents with rifles, and one incident with a shotgun. Four victim officers were killed with vehicles used as weapons."
The deaths, described as occurring in the line of duty, were up 61 percent from 2015 when 41 officers killed, according to the FBI.
The release noted that the data related to the police killed in the line of duty was based on preliminary statistics.
In recent years, media attention in the United States has largely focused on unarmed victims of police shootings and demands by protestors that officers be tried for using deadly force.
