The NVSS tends to misclassify police involved shootings as homicides if law enforcement intervention is not mentioned on death certificates. CDC data on cause of death relies on the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Note: The data historically collected by the federal government on fatal shootings is not comprehensive. It excludes injuries caused by civil insurrections. *Legal intervention is defined by the CDC as: deaths due to injuries inflicted by police or other law enforcement agents, including military on duty, in the course of arresting or attempting to arrest lawbreakers, suppressing disturbances, maintaining order, and performing other legal actions.
