GlossaryCrime classifications
Justifiable homicide
Justifiable homicide is a narrowly defined reporting classification for certain lawful killings of a person committing a serious criminal offense.
Justifiable homicide is a narrowly defined reporting classification for certain lawful killings of a person committing a serious criminal offense. In the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), it is recorded separately as 09C and designated “not a crime.” The classification is not a substitute for reading the relevant legal findings.
The reporting context
The FBI's 2025.0 manual covers killings by law-enforcement officers in the line of duty and by private individuals during the commission of a serious criminal offense, within its stated criteria. The term therefore has a specific role in an offense-reporting system.
When encountering it in an agency table, first establish whether the table uses NIBRS, an older reporting system, or a local definition. Then distinguish the statistical entry from any prosecutor's decision, court judgment, or administrative investigation. Those documents address different questions and may use different standards.
Example
Hypothetical example: An agency's annual table lists a death under “09C—Justifiable Homicide.” A separate administrative review of the incident is still underway.
The table shows the agency's reporting classification. It does not show that every review has concluded, or summarize the findings of a court or prosecutor. A careful description identifies the classification and cites the separate review when discussing that review's outcome.
Common confusion
Homicide broadly concerns one person causing another's death; a homicide label alone does not mean murder. Justifiable homicide is also not a synonym for every officer-involved shooting: a shooting may be nonfatal, and a fatal incident still requires its own classification.
“Not charged” and “justifiable homicide” are not interchangeable phrases. One describes a prosecution decision; the other names a reporting category.
Scope limits
The named source here is the FBI's June 23, 2025 manual. Use the version and correction history applicable to the record being read. Legal rules governing justified force depend on the relevant jurisdiction; a national statistical definition cannot settle an individual legal question.