Across the U.S., 50 federal, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers have been killed by firearms in 2014, including 15 who were ambushed, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund says in a report released Tuesday. That's a 56 percent jump over 2013, when 32 law officers were shot dead. Gun deaths were the leading cause of police fatalities, followed by traffic-related incidents, which made up 49 of the 126 total fatalities.
Memorial fund CEO Craig Floyd blamed the uptick in firearm deaths on protests over civilian fatalities at the hands of police officers: "With the increasing number of ambush-style attacks against our officers, I am deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe."
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