Empire State shooting sparks questions on police shot accuracy

In the recent shooting near the Empire State Building in New York City, police officers fired 16 shots in a gunfire exchange with the shooter.  Of those 16 shots, 10 of them hit the shooter.  This “hit ratio” was almost twice as good as the department’s average.

According to a 2008 analysis of NYPD firearms discharge data, officers hit their intended target about 34% of the time.

There have been other studies conducted on police marksmanship.  However, one critic notes that these studies often fail to account for real life factors such as light, distance, and whether the target is moving.