In 2024, law enforcement officers in West Palm Beach, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, and Port St. Lucie used deadly force on criminal suspects.
In September, a Port St. Lucie officer shot and killed a man threatening to blow up a home with kids inside as the suspect had a lighter and was standing next to a propane tank.
"I think he had every intention of killing everyone in the house including my officers," said Chief Leo Niemczyk.
Florida is on track to have its second deadliest year of the last five when it comes to police-involved shootings.
There have been 70 of these fatal shootings in Florida in 2024. In 2023, there were 81.
We got these numbers from the Washington Post, which put together a database after most police agencies across the U.S. stopped reporting officer-involved shootings to the FBI.
Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast have had seven deadly shootings involving police so far this year, more than any other in the past five.
"It's not just one thing," said John Kazanjian, the president of Florida’s Police Benevolent Association, the state's largest police union.
Boca Raton
Officer shoots, kills man in Boca Raton after 'encounter'
He says a rise in confrontations with people with mental illness is one factor.
"The biggest mental health facilities now are the jails,” Kazanjian said. “A lot of them are out, not taking their meds, and that's a problem.”
Kazanjian also points to domestic violence situations and confrontations involving a person under the influence as two common occurrences in police-involved shootings.
