police shootings Archives

Politicians Reach Different Conclusions on Minnesota Shooting Video

January 9, 2026

The Trump administration and some Democrats have drawn divergent conclusions from bystander video of the fatal shooting of a woman in Minnesota by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. How can one side say the agent was “recklessly using power” and the other determine he “fired defensive shots”? Experts told us it’s common for people to view the same video differently, and that the early evidence isn’t enough to reach definitive conclusions.

Hannity’s Dubious Claim About Studies Showing ‘No Systemic Racism in Policing’

February 3, 2023

Discussing the fallout from the death of Tyre Nichols, Fox News’ Sean Hannity said two academic studies found police officers are as or less likely to shoot Black suspects, showing, “There is no systemic racism in policing. It doesn’t exist.” But that’s not what the studies say.

Johnson Ad Omits Barnes’ Condemnation of Attack on Police

October 20, 2022

In the Wisconsin Senate race, an ad from Republican Sen. Ron Johnson selectively pulls comments made by his opponent, Democrat Mandela Barnes, from an interview days after a deadly attack on police in Dallas. The ad claims Barnes “rationalized violence” against police, but it ignores that Barnes said the killings were “not justified in any way” and that he “denounced” the attack.

Viral Post Misrepresents Facts in Rittenhouse Trial

December 1, 2021

Kyle Rittenhouse said that he went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to defend a car dealership during protests against police brutality in August 2020. He was not there to defend his grandparents’ gas station, as a viral social media post falsely claims. He was not related to the family that owns the car dealership.

In Her Own Words: Maxine Waters

April 20, 2021

Republicans have called for Rep. Maxine Waters’ censure or outright removal from Congress — claiming she was inciting violence prior to the verdict in the George Floyd case. Here we provide her full remarks in context.

Trump Wrong on Obama-Biden Actions on Policing

June 17, 2020

In signing an executive order on policing issues, President Donald Trump falsely claimed former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden “never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period.” The Obama administration took several steps to address police violence and community trust issues, some of which the Trump administration has dialed back.

Video: Harris, Warren on Michael Brown Shooting

August 16, 2019

In this fact-checking video, CNN’s Jake Tapper explains the Obama-era Department of Justice’s finding that Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white police officer in “self-defense,” not “murdered,” as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris claimed.

Harris, Warren Wrong About Brown Shooting

August 12, 2019

On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in what the Obama administration’s Department of Justice determined was an act of “self-defense.” But Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren referred to Brown’s death as a “murder.”

Satirical Story on Harris Treated as Fact

March 19, 2019

A story originally written as satire has been circulating online without a disclaimer, sparking angry comments from social media users on the story’s made-up claim that a new bill from Sen. Kamala Harris would restrict the use of weapons by police.

A Discussion on Harris, Hoyer and Trump

February 4, 2019

In an interview with Robert Mangino of KDKA in Pittsburgh, FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely discusses our recent stories on Sen. Kamala Harris, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and President Donald Trump.