In 2016, economist and Harvard professor Roland Fryer published a study that concluded there was no evidence of widespread racial bias in police shootings across America. According to Fryer,  

[A]fter controlling for suspect demographics, officer demographics, encounter characteristics, suspect weapon and year fixed effects … blacks are 27.4 percent less likely to be shot at by police relative to non-black, non-Hispanics.   

And, when considering “who shoots first in an encounter with police or how many bullets were discharged in the endeavor—there are no detectable racial differences.”

In a recent interview, Fryer detailed the backlash he received for publishing the report. Several colleagues told him to hide the results, and he was forced to secure police protection to visit the grocery store.  

When lives are lost because of race-based malice or police bias, Christians should be the first to demand justice. But any demand for justice must be rooted in the truth of a situation, not just its appearance or the media’s priorities.