History Main / SuicideByCop

* ''Series/BlueHeelers'': Constable Susie Rayner is introduced with her husband Brad, an ex-cop who was injured and wheelchair-bound on the job. As he spirals further into depression, he lashes out at Susie, and Ben when he tries to help. Convinced that they are having an affair, Brad steals Ben's service revolver and makes it as if he's going to kill Susie, forcing Ben to shoot him in self-defense. The subsequent court case looks into the possibility of Brad being suicidal and wanting to be killed, and this is eventually ruled as the official cause.

* ''WebAnimation/asdfmovie'' has a RunningGag where a sentient muffin begs people to eat him, which would result in his death.

* WebAnimation/asdfmovie has a RunningGag where a sentient muffin begs people to eat him, which would result in his death.

** According to WordOfGod, Spades Slick shooting the BarrierMaiden Snowman was a (failed) suicide attempt. Snowman on the other hand [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning welcomed her own death]], happy to advance Lord English's plans.

* ''Series/TwentyFour'': When Ira Gaines is captured he believes there's no scenario in which he gets to live, so he opts to get it over with by trying to shoot Jack even though he's on his knees and Jack is behind him with his gun already pointed at him.

** In "Yes Men", Lorelei tries to goad Sif into killing her using a PostRapeTaunt. As Lorelei had just verbally explained that she would rather die than go back to prison, this doesn't work.
** In "Aftershocks", newly-transformed Inhuman Raina isn't satisfied with what she turned into and tries to goad a group of SHIELD agents into shooting her. She's rescued by Gordon, an Inhuman with teleportation powers before they can do anything. Later on, in "Afterlife", she tries to get Skye to kill her [[spoiler: with her new earthquake powers]]. Skye, who has a personal history with Raina, is happy to oblige, but she is stopped.
* ''Series/{{Airwolf}}'': The Evil Dr. Moffett may have committed suicide by attack helicopter. He had pointed out the one place that the helicopter was vulnerable to a [[MurphysBullet Golden BB]], and in another scene, they had shown that he had the necessary skill with a pistol to make the shot.

** Faith attempts Suicide By Vampire Detective in "[[Recap/AngelS01E18FiveByFive Five by Five]]."

** PlayedForLaughs with The Groosalugg; after a lifetime of being ostracized by his people for being clearly part human (and TallDarkAndHandsome), he fought the greatest warriors and fiercest beasts in hopes of them ending his miserable existence but was so skillful that he defeated them all and was proclaimed the greatest champion in Pylea.

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS1E4TimeSquad Time Sqaud]]", Cally is introduced as the SoleSurvivor (due to her alien biology) of a planet where the Federation wiped out LaResistance with biological weapons. Due to a combination of SurvivorGuilt and YouCantGoHomeAgain, she plans to attack the nearest Federation base and destroy everything she can until she's killed. [[TakingYouWithMe "There will be companions for my death."]] The arrival of Blake gives her another option, and she becomes the final member of the Seven.

* ''Series/BlueHeelers'' did this when Constable Susie Rayner is introduced with her husband Brad, an ex-cop who was injured and wheelchair-bound on the job. As he spirals further into depression he lashes out at Susie, and Ben when he tries to help. Convinced they are having an affair, Brad steals Ben's service revolver and makes it as if he's going to kill Susie, forcing Ben to shoot him in self-defense. The subsequent court case looked into the possibility of Brad being suicidal and he wanted to be killed, and this was eventually ruled as the official cause.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Jared attempts this in the season four finale episode "The End in the Beginning", but is talked out of it by Brennan.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Subverted in the opening scene of "[[Recap/BreakingBadS1E1Pilot Pilot]]"; what do you do when you, the protagonist, until that moment a law-abiding citizen, a trusted and respected member of your community, a loving husband and father, end up in underwear in the middle of the desert, driving a mobile meth-lab chased by police cars that get closer and closer? You leave a videotaped farewell message to the loved ones then proceed to confront the police with a gun in your hand ready to shoot and have the incoming ''fire trucks'' ignore you in favor of the distant wildfire [[ChekhovsGun you accidentally set earlier]].

* ''Series/ChicagoPD'' had this occur in the Season 5 episode "Saved", when Hannah, a young girl who could turn to Voight for help, found herself trapped in a car dealership with her boyfriend, surrounded by Voight's team with backup, and heavily outnumbered. Despite Voight's best attempts to talk them out of it, Hannah's boyfriend convinces her to charge out into the crossfire armed, forcing the CPD to open fire. By the time Voight emerges himself, Hannah and her boyfriend lay dead from multiple gunshot wounds, much to Voight's grief that he couldn't save her.

* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': In "Crime After Crime," DirtyCop Sam Vega is caught drowning someone. Despite being surrounded by cops pointing their weapons at him, he draws his pistol and is promptly gunned down.
* ''Series/CSICyber'': Python does this at the end of "Python's Revenge," forcing Avery to shoot him.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "The 34th Floor," Mac and Don clearly have their perp cornered at gunpoint on a rooftop. Rather than be arrested, the man draws his own weapon and the two fire, both hitting him squarely in the chest.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], it transpires that [[spoiler:Dalek Caan's prophecies]] were in part a ruse to create a situation where [[spoiler:his entire race, and Davros,]] were completely destroyed, as he had realized that the universe would be a much better place without them around.

* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'': In "Fire Ships", Hornblower must deal with a surly sailor of the week who tries to desert several times. Bunting actually wants to free himself but is deeply disturbed and sinks more and more. When he attempts to desert for the last time, Hornblower catches him and wants to have him court-martialed -- which means he'll swing. Bunting considers it a cruel mercy, thank you very much, and a fate far worse than dying on the spot. He tries to escape and twists Hornblower's pistol, knowing that it will force Hornblower to shoot him. Poor Hornblower gets understandably depressed and goes into [[HeroicBSOD Heroic Blue Screen of Death]] mode.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': In "Deja Vu", this is attempted by Colonel Patano, who opens up a gunfight with Harm with the intent of letting Harm win in order to cover up for the killer.
* In the 1990s Australian miniseries ''Janus'' a member of the Hennessy clan does this, leading to accusations that the police murdered him in revenge for his acquittal over the murder of a police officer. It didn't help that the detective who shot him picked up the gun in a HeroicBSOD to see if it was a replica, then put it back--a witness sees the latter, [[NotWhatITLooksLike making it look like]] the police planted a gun on the scene.

** In ''Series/KamenRiderKabuto''', this ends up being [[spoiler:Tsurugi Kamishiro's response to [[TomatoInTheMirror realizing that he's actually a Worm - in fact, the same Worm that killed the real Tsurugi and his older sister]]. Tsurugi confronts [[SuperMode Hyper]] [[TheHero Kabuto]], and tells the latter to remember their mutual goal: "defeat all Worm." Kabuto obliges him.]]

** Done by a hostage-taker as a MindScrew revenge on Detective Benson. His last words were "There are no bullets in my gun."
** In "Blast", a junkie robs his father's bank and accidentally shoots his father in the process. As he heads out to commit Suicide By Cop, Dr. Warner shoots him in the leg with Stabler's backup weapon, allowing the SWAT team to restrain him.
** A dirty cop does this when Elliot (who was undercover) is revealed to be a cop. Cragen implies that he did it because his co-conspirators would have done much worse if they'd found out he even accidentally brought a cop into their operation.
** In "Father's Shadow", a young man who has taken several hostages, and is therefore surrounded by sharpshooters and police, finds out his father is a rapist who attacked, among others, the hostage-taker's own sister. He deliberately steps into range of the shooter, but Olivia, empathizing with him, steps between him and the window to block the shot and eventually talks him into surrendering.
** One suspect in the attempted murder of a young girl turns out to be Elijah, a 30-year-old ex-child soldier originally from Uganda. He is eventually found innocent, but the police investigation alerts the International Criminal Court to his whereabouts, and the US plans to deport him in cooperation with the UN. When Elijah finds out, he first attempts to take hostages, then grabs the gun of a federal agent, forcing them to shoot him rather than go back to his country.
*** Just before he dies, Elijah tells his friend, the young girl from the original case, that he wanted to die not just to prevent his own suffering but also to make people see what he and others like him had lived through.
** The suspect in "Burned" attempts this after setting his ex-wife on fire because he feels guilty about the effect his actions will have on his daughter. The SVU anticipate this and Olivia promptly shoots him down...with plastic bullets.
** In "Surrendering Noah", sex trafficker [[ArcVillain Johnny D.]] initially does well at trial, but when a group of his former [[SexSlave Sex Slaves]] hold up well under cross-examination and it becomes clear he's going to prison, he grabs a bailiff's gun, shoots the judge and runs out of the courtroom, where he is [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome immediately shot dead by Amaro]]. At the end of the episode, Benson reflects that Johnny must have known he couldn't possibly have fought his way out.

** An older Jewish doctor commits the Suicide by State variation in "Let Us Ask the Maiden". He shoots his fiancée's father in front of Detective Murdoch, Inspector Brackenreid, and a couple of constables, which means he gets the noose. He did it because his future father-in-law murdered his employee who was also his daughter's [[StarCrossedLovers lover]]. He loved the girl more than anything and he wanted her to be free from both of them -- her father and himself.
** The Indian PoeticSerialKiller in "Werewolves" met his end when he tries to attack the investigators. Inspector Brackenreid shoots him dead with a rifle. He is quite shaken by it, claiming it is the first time he killed anybody on duty as a police officer.
** In "The Artful Detective," one participant in a DeadlyGame takes out a life insurance policy and doesn't arm himself against rival "contestants", implicitly letting himself be killed.
* ''Series/TheMusketeers'': The death of [[spoiler: Marsac]] in "The Good Soldier" has a strong suggestion of this. He certainly forced the best shot in the regiment to fire on him at close quarters and his dying words also reinforce the notion.

** Referred to by name, after Kate shoots a despairing man who was waving an (unloaded) handgun in a threatening manner. Unlike a surprisingly many fictional depictions of suicide by cop where it's shrugged off like any other killing, Kate is emotionally distraught afterwards. (Likely because she's Catholic and is rattled at having inadvertently assisted someone in something believed to be a mortal sin).
** And averted spectacularly in another episode, "Murder 2.0", where the protagonists run into a hostage situation that looks to be the hostage-taker trying to commit suicide by cop... until Gibbs realizes that she's being forced by the "hostage" to "threaten" him with an unloaded weapon, and what's really going on is that the "hostage-taker" was being set up for a ''Homicide'' by Cop. Fortunately, it doesn't work.
** A clear example of this occurs in "Dead Man Talking" where the villain, standing right in front of Gibbs, who has his gun trained on her, attempts to shoot Gibbs anyway and gets shot in the head.
** Subverted in another episode, where a drugged-up guy pulls a gun on the team after being chased, only for Gibbs to come up behind him and pin him to a railing. From the other side.
** [[spoiler:Harper Dearing]], the BigBad of season 9 and the premiere of season 10. [[spoiler:After Gibbs tracks him down alone, Dearing talks for a while. Then he goes for a gun on the windowsill and Gibbs knifes him.]]

** In the BatmanColdOpen of "[[Recap/PersonOfInterestS04E05 Prophets]]", the POI is going to jump off a building after being caught in embezzlement and murder. Reese points out that his insurance won't pay his family if he commits suicide, but will if a cop kills him. So the POI tries to shoot Reese, who [[RunningGag kneecaps him as usual]].
-->'''POI:''' You said you were gonna kill me!
-->'''Reese:''' ILied.

* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': In "Dangerous Curve Ahead", [[spoiler:Alice Sands]] takes a teenager hostage at gunpoint, forcing Jane to shoot her in hopes that people will wonder whether it was in the line of duty or in cold blood. [[spoiler:There is no sign that this part of her plan actually worked]].

* ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'': John Druitt, overwhelmed by the guilt that goes with being Jack the Ripper attempts to goad Magnus into killing him by beating the crap out of her. It almost works--she stops his heart with two stun blasts to the chest, but then [[MagicalDefibrillator revives him]].

* ''Series/SWAT2017'': In "[[Recap/SWATS02E23Kangaroo Kangaroo]]" Cinque tries to do this by making him seem like he's aiming, but has tossed his gun away. Hondo shoots him but realizes what he's after when Cinque says he'll be just another Black person shot by the LAPD, and [[DontCreateAMartyr won't let him be a martyr]], saving Cinque's life with first aid.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Monsters!", the vampire Emile Francis Bendictson never stayed anywhere too long for fear of activating the recessive gene that turns ordinary humans into vampire-killing monsters. After traveling the world for almost 150 years, he returns to his hometown of Mill Valley so that he can die where he was born. Several days after his arrival, many of the townspeople turn into monsters and kill him in a very brutal fashion. Bendictson was [[ICannotSelfTerminate either unwilling or unable to kill himself]].

* ''Series/WithoutATrace'': This happened in the 17th episode of the 2nd season; an Iraqi war veteran accidentally kills a woman in a bank heist he pulled to get enough money to keep his house from being repossessed and his girlfriend from leaving him. In the end, after taking the girlfriend and an FBI agent hostage in his home, he agrees to come out. He unloads the gun he's holding (out of view of the SWAT officers that surrounded his house) and walks right out the front door, pointing the gun at the officers, who open fire. The final scene is a DownerEnding: the FBI agent holding the hysterical, sobbing girlfriend back from running after him and into the line of fire, as the agent sheds a few tears himself.

* In one chapter of ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'', a sheep named Sebun tries to get the main protagonist Legoshi the eat her after failing to get a promotion at her job. He snaps her out of it by throwing her out of the train they're on.

This is a DeathTrope, so '''expect spoilers'''.