The federal government has struggled for years to track deaths that happened after police used force like physical restraints and Tasers that isn’t supposed to be lethal. After George Floyd was killed under a police officer’s knee, a team of reporters led by The Associated Press set out to do their own count.
Every day, police in the U.S. rely on common use-of-force tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them. But when misused, these tactics can still end in death — as happened with George Floyd in 2020.
An investigation led by The Associated Press has found that, over a decade, more than 1,000 people died after police subdued them through physical holds, stun guns, body blows and other force not intended to be lethal.