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Death Certification of “Suicide by Cop”
Author(s) -
Neitzel Amber R.,
Gill James R.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01891.x
Subject(s) - certification , homicide , suicide prevention , poison control , manner of death , medicine , injury prevention , medical emergency , human factors and ergonomics , medical examiner , occupational safety and health , cause of death , psychology , law , political science , disease , pathology
Death certification of “suicide by cop” is controversial among some medical examiners and coroners. We present five such deaths that were certified as suicides and discuss the medico‐legal issues involved with these certifications. To certify such a death as a suicide, certain criteria should be met. Suicide by cop is a circumstance that involves competing intentional acts that may result in dichotomous determinations of the manner of death. Despite the absence of direct self‐infliction, there is overwhelming evidence that these five individuals intended to end their own lives. Their use of an unusual method to accomplish this goal may inappropriately result in a reflexive certification of homicide. All of the decedents possessed weapons or a facsimile of a weapon. We present five instances of suicide by cop and contend that these types of deaths are best certified as suicides.