Fatal Police Shootings in Minnesota Highest on Record

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Police officers in Minnesota have fatally shot 13 people this year, the most since the state began keeping records nearly 40 years ago.

The Pioneer Press reports the previous high was 12 deaths, in both 2010 and 2015. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension data show that more than half of the 151 fatalities by officers since 1995 occurred in the last eight years.

It has also been a dangerous year for officers. Bureau data show officers have been assaulted more than 300 times each year since 2011.

An increasing number of assaults against police officers in Minnesota has coincided with the increase in fatal shootings by police.

Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association executive director Dennis Flaherty says officers are facing more dangerous situations, with more criminals carrying guns and willing to use them.