death by cop

"Death by cop" is a tragic phenomenon where individuals provoke police officers into using lethal force against them, often as a means of suicide.

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Definition

(informal)A situation where someone intentionally acts in a threatening manner to compel police to use deadly force, resulting in their death.

The suspect's erratic behavior led to what appeared to be a death by cop incident.
Authorities are investigating whether the shooting was a case of death by cop.

(technical)A method of suicide where an individual provokes law enforcement into using lethal force against them.

Mental health professionals discussed the factors that could lead to death by cop.
The term 'death by cop' is often used in forensic psychology to describe certain suicide cases.

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "death by cop":