Attempts to identify sources of interjurisdictional shooting rate variation have produced mixed results. One study suggests that differences are associated with variations in levels of community violence and risk to officers. Another report emphasizes strong associations between fatal police shooting rates and public homicide and arrest rates. Concerning minority overrepresentation among shooting victims, some experts attribute it to internal police practices, i.e., police are more likely to shoot black suspects; others view the disproportion as a natural consequence of greater involvement of blacks in criminal activities. Shooting data from New York City and from Memphis, Tenn., were analyzed to investigate the validity of the two perspectives. In general, the data support the view that internal police practices may be operative in accounting for the disproportionate number of black victims. Memphis officers tend to engage in elective shootings with great frequency. Future research conducted on the use of deadly force in Memphis may result in a decrease in the frequency of such shootings. Five tables and 36 footnotes are provided.