Gunfire Killed 72 Officers in ‘93, Data Shows

Seventy-two police officers were killed by gunfire in 1993, more than half of all those who have died in the line of duty, the National Assn. of Chiefs of Police reported Friday.

The killings, based on preliminary figures for the year, add to 2,278 shooting deaths of law enforcement officers recorded by the association since it began maintaining records on line-of-duty deaths in 1960.

The association said it expects the 1993 fatality list of 139 law enforcement officers, including the 72 killed by firearms, to grow as final reports are received from the nation’s 21,000 law enforcement agencies.

“Regretfully, we can expect that, when all this year’s tragedies are tabulated, the total deaths for 1993 will exceed the 1992 figure and surpass the recent mark set in 1991,” said Dennis R. Martin, the police association’s president.

Final figures for 1992 showed 160 line-of-duty deaths, including 70 from gunshot wounds.

In 1991, there were 143 such deaths, and 75 officers were felled by gunfire.

While police work has become increasingly dangerous in recent years, the record for line-of-duty and gunshot deaths was set in 1974 when there were 206 deaths, including 95 firearms fatalities.

By contrast, in 1960, a total of 95 police officers died in the line of duty, including 29 from gunshots.