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Cop killings have nearly doubled in past year: FBI

Photo:  NYC Mayor Police Graduation
NYC Mayor Police Graduation

Courtesy of the NY Post:

The number of cops killed in the line of duty during violent acts has almost doubled in the past year, the FBI said.

In 2014, 51 cops were killed in a felony crime — up from just 27 the year before, which marked a 35-year low, according to preliminary data released Monday by the FBI.

By region, eight cops were killed during the commission of a crime in the Northeast, 17 in the South, 14 in the West, eight in the Midwest and four in Puerto Rico.

An average of 64 officers were killed per year nationwide from 1980 to 2014 in felony cases, the FBI said.

The data come amid spiking tensions between law enforcement and minority communities after deaths of unarmed black men and boys at the hands of cops in Baltimore, Staten Island and Ferguson, Mo.

The recent turmoil also has shed light on the dangers faced by cops across the country.

Among the 51 slain cops, 46 were shot at with handguns, rifles and shotguns; four were run over by vehicles; and one was killed with the offender’s bare hands, the FBI said.

They faced a variety of situations, including 11 who responded to disturbance calls, 10 who were conducting traffic pursuits or stops, eight who were ambushed and six who were investigating suspicious people or situations.

Five cops were fatally injured during investigations, four were taking part in tactical situations, three were dealing with the mentally ill and one was killed in a drug-related case. Three others were killed while arresting suspects.

In addition to the violent cases, 44 other cops were accidentally killed in 2014 — including 28 car accidents and two accidental shootings. In 2013, 49 cops were killed in accidental cases.
The FBI will publish the full statistics in a fall annual report.

On This Edition of World’s Dumbest Criminals

Aaron Hernandez charged with witness intimidation in connection to 2012 Boston killings

Photo:  Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez

BOSTON — Former New England Patriots player and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez is facing another criminal charge: witness intimidation.

Aaron Hernandez was indicted Friday on charges of witness intimidation. AP Photo/Dominick Reuter
Hernandez was convicted last month of killing a man in June 2013. He also faces two counts of murder in Boston, where he is accused of gunning down two men in 2012 after one caused him to spill his drink at a nightclub.

The Suffolk County district attorney’s office said Monday that a grand jury indicted Hernandez on Friday. It says Hernandez shot a witness to the Boston killings on Feb. 13, 2013, after the witness made a remark about the killings.

The district attorney’s office did not identify the witness, but Alexander Bradley, a former Hernandez friend, has sued Hernandez, saying he shot him on that date in Florida.

Hernandez’s lawyers didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.