SEATTLE (AP) — It’s been an especially violent week for police across the U.S., including the deaths of two Connecticut police officers and the wounding of a third. Even as the number of officers has dropped in the past two years, the number being targeted and killed has risen. Organizations that track violence against police say 56 officers have been killed by gunfire so far this year — a number that is up 14% from this time last year and about 45% from this time in 2020. The country is on track to approach or surpass other top annual totals of recent years, including 73 officers killed in 2011 and 67 in 2016.
Violent week a grim sign as targeted killings of police rise
