After a long battle with ridiculous euphemisms, I have come to define and classify suicide by cop as clearly and distinctly as that written below. I must have hit the mark since editors of Black's Law Dictionary contacted me requesting permission to use these definitions in their next updated edition. Of course I was honored to oblige.

Suicide-by-cop: A colloquial term used to describe a suicidal incident whereby the suicidal subject engages in a consciously, life-threatening behavior to the degree that it compels a police officer to respond with deadly force.

Police-assisted suicide:  A term used by some researchers to describe a suicide whereby the suicidal subject completes the act with the assistance of a police officer.

Victim-precipitated homicide:  A term which implies a shared responsibility between two (or more parties) whereby a suicidal subject provokes his or her own death by means of another.

Although simplified, the criteria below may be used to qualify the suicide

• The suicidal subject must demonstrate the intent to die
• The suicidal subject must have a clear understanding of the finality of the act.
• The suicidal subject must confront a law enforcement official to the degree that it compels that officer to act with deadly force.
• The suicidal subject actually dies - otherwise it is an attempted suicide by cop.

The ongoing debate centers around the argument that suicidal subjects may not be in a "knowing" state of mind during the event to understand the outcome. Since most who choose this method of suicide are generally "under the influence," I can understand that. However, interviews I've conducted indicate that while these individuals are in a high emotional state, the majority consciously chose this method due to their belief that the officer will indeed act with deadly force.