Police shootings higher in rural, suburban areas than urban: Study

( NewsNation ) — Police shootings have impacted rural areas in the United States at a higher rate than urban areas, according to analysis by Vanderbilt University.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined incidents from 2015 to 2020 and found that 45% happened in rural areas compared to 22% in suburban areas.

Using national data built from the Gun Violence Archive , researchers found that Black and Native American residents in urban areas were most disproportionately affected by police shootings, but injury rates were also high among Black residents in suburban and rural areas as well as among rural Native Americans.

These groups experienced per capita rates of injury from police shootings that were three to five times higher than those of white residents in similar areas. Hispanic residents in urban, suburban and rural areas faced injury rates nearly twice as high as those of non-Hispanic white residents.

Researchers also found that in rural areas, less than half of the shootings involved local police, suggesting that any reforms should target both local police and sheriff’s offices.

Additionally, analysts noted that police shootings in rural and suburban areas are often underreported due to limited media coverage and inconsistent accountability measures in rural police agencies, which can impact public perception.

In contrast, fatal police shootings in major cities typically receive more attention due to media coverage and the response of local activists.

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