List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, February 2019

This is a list of people reported killed by non-military law enforcement officers in the United States in February 2019, whether in the line of duty or not, and regardless of reason or method. The listing documents the occurrence of a death, making no implications regarding wrongdoing or justification on the part of the person killed or officer involved. Killings are arranged by date of the incident that caused death. Different death dates, if known, are noted in the description.

The table below lists 24 individuals. (This number should update automatically when changes are saved.)

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

February 2019


DateName (age) of deceasedState (city)Description
2019-02-28Michael E. Pierce (29)Washington (Vancouver)A man in his car was reportedly threatening to shot others and himself with what appeared to be a handgun. After disobeying police orders he was shot and killed. Two fake plastic guns were later found in the vehicle.[1]
2019-02-28Kenneth Joseph Sisneros (34)Colorado (Lone Tree)Police officers responding to an armed shoplifting at a store responded to the scene and found two suspects. One of the suspects, a man, pulled out a handgun and was shot and killed by police. The second suspect, a woman, fled the scene and managed to escape.[2] The deceased man was later identified as 34-year-old Kenneth Joseph Sisneros.[3]
2019-02-27Gary Clark (21)Louisiana (DeRidder)Officers were attempting to serve a felony arrest on Clark, when he allegedly pulled out a weapon, to which the officers responded to by shooting and killing him.[4]
2019-02-27James Scott Reed (40)Texas (Killeen)Officers were attempting to conduct a no-knock (surprise) warrant search of Reed's apartment, who was suspected of drug trafficking. Entering the apartment the officers were met with gunfire, and in response they fired back. Shortly after they encountered Reed's body, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.[5]
2019-02-26Brandon Schmitt (48)Ohio (Struthers)Police were called to Schmitt's residence after he had reportedly assaulted his girlfriend's 16-year-old daughter with a flashlight. The girl and her 12-year-old brother were able to escape the house along with their mother, where the former was transported to hospital with a broken arm and a concussion. After a 14 hour standoff where police used both pepper spray and a stun gun to try to unsuccessfully force Schmitt to surrender, he was shot and killed by a shot using a thermal imaging. Police justified killing Schmitt saying that he was armed and dangerous and there was no hope of peacefully ending the standoff.[6]
2019-02-26Joseph Hart (51)South Carolina (Huger)A shootout involving multiple officers began when after pulling over a vehicle in a remote area the driver opened fire. The officer called for back up. In a shootout that lasted 30 minutes the suspect shot at the responding officers and SWAT team with a shotgun, rifle, and handgun. The suspect took cover behind a nearby shed and continued to fire at the police, but at one point briefly exposed himself and was shot and killed. None of the responding law enforcement reported injuries.[7] The deceased suspect was later identified as 51-year-old Joseph Hart.[8]
2019-02-24Tommy Kirby (41)Michigan (Flint)Kirby was shot and killed by three police officers after a vehicle pursuit. An investigation is ongoing.[9]
2019-02-23Angel Burke (29)Tennessee (Clarksville)Officers with the Clarksville Police Department responded to a vehicle crash, where they observed a man and woman walking away from the scene. When approached the man, who police later identified as Burke, fled the scene with officers giving pursuit. After realizing that Burke was carrying a handgun one of the officers shot and killed him.[10]
2019-02-23Sterling Durant Humbert (28)Texas (Carrollton)After a routine traffic stop turned into a hot pursuit, officers stopped the vehicle and noticed the driver was armed. The driver, Sterling Durant Humbert, did not obey police orders to drop the weapon, in response to which one of the officers shot and killed him.[11] The family later disputed police accounts, saying that Humbert suffered from mental health problems and that officers did not adequately try to de-escalate the situation.[12]
2019-02-22Timmothy Rhodes (28)West Virginia (Walton)Police stopped a vehicle during a traffic stop. The female occupant in the passenger seat got out without incident. The male occupant in the driver seat however did not get out and had to be persuaded by police officers. When attempting to handcuff him however a struggle ensued where the suspect allegedly reached for the officer's firearm, which in response he was shot and killed. The individual was later identified as 28-year-old Timmothy Rhodes. Protest erupted in Rhodes's home town calling the shooting unjustified.[13]
2019-02-22Kasim Kahrim (36)Massachusetts (Boston)Two police officers pulled over an SUV, and on approaching the vehicle the occupant inside opened fire on the officers. One of the officers was hit twice in his right hand and once in the left bicep, the other was unharmed. The officers returned fire with their weapons and the suspect was hit multiple times. He was later pronounced dead and identified as Kasim Kahrim.[14]
2019-02-22Bradley Blackshire (30)Arkansas (Little Rock)Police pulled over a vehicle that was reported as being stolen. As the officer got out of his vehicle the car pulled around and accelerated towards the officer. The officer opened fire in the seconds before he was hit by the vehicle, killing the driver. The officer was later hospitalised and the driver identified as Bradley Blackshire. A female passenger who was in the car at the time was uninjured.[15]
2019-02-20Kyron Marcell Sands (39)Connecticut (Norwich)After police interrupted a burglary in process, the suspect shot at police before carjacking a vehicle and fleeing the scene. Police gave chase which ended with the vehicle crashing and the individual, who once again opened fire on law enforcement. The officers shot back, and the suspect was shot in the stomach and eventually died. He was later identified as 39-year-old Kyron Marcell Sands of Hartford.[16]
2019-02-19Clayton Joseph (16)Washington (Vancouver)Police responded to a report of two teenagers fighting in a parking lot. Responding to the scene the officer saw that one of the individuals, later identified as Clayton Joseph, was armed with a knife. According to the report Joseph did not obey commands to drop the knife and continued to wave it around, resulting in the officer shooting and killing Joseph.[17]
2019-02-18Pierre Woods (31)Mississippi (Pelahatchie)Police responded a house owned by Woods, who shot at police and refused to come out of the house. After trying to negotiate unsuccessfully, police then forced tear gas in the house. After the tear gas entered the house Woods emerged, according to police armed and acting in a threatening manner, prompting the officers to shoot Woods multiple times.[18]
2019-02-17Reginald Romero Bursey (32)Louisiana (New Orleans)Bursey had a warrant for his arrest for assault with a deadly weapon and tying up and robbing two people. He was also wanted for a parole violation in his home state of Texas. Bursey was approached by officers as he was a suspect in a recent armed robbery and that they realized there was a warrant for his arrest. Bursey opened fire on the officers, who responded by shooting him multiple times, killing him. Three bystanders were also shot during the exchange, although all of them survived.[19]
2019-02-15Gary Martin (45)Illinois (Aurora)Perpetrator of a mass shooting, shot and killed by police responding. See Aurora, Illinois shooting.[20]
2019-02-13Greg Alyn Carlson (46)North Carolina (Apex)Carlson, who was on the nation's most wanted list, was killed by a single shot fired by an FBI agent. Carlson was wanted for multiple armed rapes in the Los Angeles area and had been on the run.[21]
2019-02-12Brian Simonsen (42)New York (Queens)Simonsen, a 19-year veteran with the New York police force, was killed in a friendly fire incident while responding to a robbery scene in Queens.[22]
2019-02-12Johnny Mathis (46)California (Merced)Mathis was killed at a standoff at his house with police. Mathis himself was a cop in the Dos Palos police department and had been in law enforcement since the 1990s, although he had been placed on leave for unspecified reasons.[23]
2019-02-10Willie Jermaine Robinson (34)South Carolina (Greenville)Police officers responded to a 911 call made by Robinson in which he claimed to have been poisoned by a woman with him at his trailer. Arriving at the scene officers heard a gunshot to which they took cover. Robinson exited the trailer holding a firearm, disobeying orders to drop the weapon, and allegedly tried to goad the officers into shooting him. Robinson fired his gun two times in the air as officers tried to calm him down verbally. When Robinson pointed his weapon at one of the officers he was shot and killed. The woman in Robinson's trailer was transported to hospital with a non-life threatening injury gunshot wound.[24][25]
2019-02-09Willie McCoy (21)California VallejoMcCoy was found unresponsive in his car at a TacoBell drive through not responding to other drivers knocking at his window or honking their horns. Six police officers responded and observed McCoy in the driver seat with what appeared to be a gun in his lap. The officers attempted contact McCoy and also tried to break open the window. McCoy awoke and allegedly reached for his gun, prompting the officers to open fire, striking McCoy multiple times and killing him.[26] The incident was controversial due to the fact that it was unclear if McCoy was aware of his surroundings and if he was actually reaching for his gun. McCoy's family stated that they will sue the Vallejo police department.[27]
2019-02-08Joshua Williams (32)New York (Manhattan)New York City police officers responding to a domestic violence call in Manhattan's east side and initially apprehended Williams without incident until he suddenly broke loose, grabbed a knife and started stabbing his partner. Police responded by shooting Williams 5 times, killing him.[28]
2019-02-06Bruce Carter (38)Illinois (Joliet)On February 6th, Carter was identified as a suspect in a bank robbery which occurred earlier that morning, and tracked to his mother's house. According to police reports, shortly after coming out to speak with police, Carter lunged at a detective with a box cutter and was fatally shot. The Will County State's Attorney ruled that the shooting was justified.[29]

See also

References
  1. Shane Dixon Kavanaugh (March 3, 2019). "Vancouver police ID cops who shot and killed gun-wielding man". OregonLive.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  2. Contreras, Óscar (February 28, 2019). "Lone Tree police shoots, kills armed theft suspect at Park Meadows, second suspect on the run". KMGH-TV. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  3. Sheldon, Bobbi (February 28, 2019). "Theft suspect killed by officer at Park Meadows identified, 2nd suspect on the run". 9 News. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  4. Manning, Jonathan (February 27, 2019). "Louisiana State Police release name of man killed in officer-involved shooting". WAFB 9. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  5. Perdue, David (February 27, 2019). "One person dead in shootout after Killeen police try to serve no-knock warrant". Killeen Daily Herald. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  6. Rodges, Alan; Cotterman, Danielle; Gauntner, Mike; Stevens, Glenn (February 26, 2019). "Suspect shot and killed in Struthers standoff". 21 WFMJ. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  7. Jackson, Angie (February 26, 2019). "Man killed in shootout with Berkeley County deputies in Huger". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  8. Jackson, Angie (February 27, 2019). "Witness recalls deadly shootout between man and Berkeley deputies: 'It was World War III'". The Post and Courier. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  9. "3 Flint police officers remain on paid leave as shooting investigation continues". ABC 12. February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  10. "Suspect shot and killed by Clarksville Police officer during foot pursuit". ClarksvilleNow.com. February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  11. Park, Catherine (February 24, 2019). "Armed Man Shot, Killed By Police After Short Chase Saturday". NBCDF. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  12. Scharfetter, Raegan; Sarder, Sarah (February 27, 2019). "Family, Carrollton police disagree on whether officers had to shoot armed, mentally ill man". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  13. Fitzwater, Joseph; Kosik, Haley (February 22, 2019). "UPDATE: Roane County Officer-Involved Suspect Killing Under Investigation". WOWK TV. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  14. "Boston Police Officer Shot Several Times In Roxbury, Suspect Dead". CBS Boston. February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  15. Rddad, Youssef (February 22, 2019). "Little Rock police fatally shoot suspect after officer hit by vehicle during traffic stop; cop released from hospital, authorities say". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  16. Rondinone, Nicholas (February 20, 2019). "Suspect fatally shot by authorities in Windham after carjacking and chase from Norwich". Hartford Courant. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  17. Haas, Elise; Ault, Trevor; Miller, Cole (February 19, 2019). "Friend speaks highly of teen shot to death by officer". KOIN 6 News Staff. KOIN 6. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  18. McCarthy, Waverly; Anderson, Roslyn (February 18, 2019). "Man shot and killed by officers during standoff in Pelahatchie identified". WLBT 3. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  19. Ramon Antonio Vargas (February 18, 2019). "Info on man killed in New Orleans CBD shootout: Gang member in Houston, drug arrests in N.O." The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  20. "Latest: Governor praises police response in Aurora shooting". SFGate. February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  21. Li, David K. (February 13, 2019). "One of FBI's most wanted men fatally shot during arrest attempt at North Carolina hotel". NBC News. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  22. Kilgannon, Corey K.; Winston, Ali; Watkins, Ali (February 13, 2019). "New York City Detective Killed by 'Friendly Fire' During Queens Robbery". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  23. Miller, Thaddeus; Shanker, Vikaas (February 12, 2019). "Dos Palos cop was on leave when he died during officer-involved shooting, Merced DA says". Merced Sun-Star. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  24. "Man claiming poisoning shot, killed after shooting woman, firing at Greenville County deputies, official says". WIS News 10. February 10, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  25. "Man claiming poisoning shot, killed after shooting woman, firing several shots at Greenville county deputies officials say". WYFF-TV. February 11, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  26. Murdock, Jason (11 February 2019). "California rapper shot dead by police at Taco Bell drive-thru". Newsweek.
  27. "Willie McCoy's family files wrongful death claim against Vallejo police". SFChronicle.com. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  28. Dobnik, Verena (February 8, 2019). "Knife-wielding man fatally shot by NYPD officer". Associated Press. ABC News. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  29. Fabbre, Alicia (May 7, 2019). "Joliet police fatal shooting of suspect was justified, report says".
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