Posted on 08/09/2016 9:02:24 PM PDT by grundle
A woman is dead after she was accidentally shot by a Florida police officer in a citizen training academy roleplay scenario gone wrong.
Mary Knowlton was one of two participants randomly selected from a group of 35 for a shoot-don’t shoot simulation during a two-hour training Tuesday at the Punta Gorda Police Department, Chief Tom Lewis told reporters at a press conference.
“During the first scenario, in a horrible accident participant Mary Knowlton was mistakenly struck by a live round,” Lewis said.
She was transported to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
“I am asking that if you pray, you pray for Mary’s husband and family and the officers and witnesses involved in this incident,” Lewis continued. “Everyone involved is in a state of overwhelming shock and grief.”
Florida Department of Law Enforcement is already on scene investigating.
“The Punta Gorda Police Department realizes that our community will have many questions about this incident. However, we are taking care not to jeopardize the investigation,” Lewis said.
He declined to answer any questions from reporters on scene and did not address why there were live rounds in the weapon.
The officer, who has not been named, is on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Punta Gorda is a city of 17,000 located on the Gulf Coast, located just over 20 miles northwest of Fort Myers.
Gee, that's convenient for the cop. If the tables were turned and a civilian shot the cop, the civilian would be identified with name and picture. Cop makes a huge mistake that cost someone their life, and he is anonymous and sheltered. Stupid mistakes that kill should not be covered up with no identity revealed.
Wonder if the cop was an Affirmative Action hire?
“How about we wait until the facts are in?”
I’d say the pertinent facts are already in! A citizen role playing with the cops was shot to death! Just WTF do you think any “additional information” will do to change what this is? No, I’m not perfect either, but someone needs to be charged with negligent homicide! This time it wasn’t a family pet! And this Punta Gorda Chief of Police needs to resign.
No. The range safety officer need to be fired.
That is a pretty wealthy area. I doubt they discharge their service weapons all that often. Got sloppy on training obviously.
The need to do it like the Marine Corps. There are no weapons accident, only negligence. Negligence is met with punishment. I am convinced most officers are idiots when it comes to firearms.
Watch this video and see two Chicago police officers shoot at each other as a vehicle passes between them.
Can I get a WTF?
Ya don’t want to hang around people who are stupid—in any respect.
“Was the wrong?”
and the safety officer and the oversize manager.
When it comes to loaded weapons, you have to be at 100% awareness. To do otherwise invites disaster.
I’ll agree the one pertinent fact that she is dead is obvious, but there are more than just this one fact. While the rest of the facts may or may not show this tragedy in a different light, it is still important to have all the facts that are possible to ascertain. One tragedy is enough without adding further tragedy by jumping to conclusions. I am making no determinations at all yet, except that this woman is tragically dead. I want to know why this is the case, and that is where the facts are still missing.
True, but that information will only serve to spread the blame more broadly. How in the world could any LEO use a service weapon in a demonstration? This isn't a “oops,” like you get from the cops when then “inadvertently” shoot the family pet. As has been pointed out by other posters, there are a number of ways to insure that a “real gun” can't harm anyone. But for me, I would never allow any one to point a serviceable gun at me no matter what had been done to it. Familiarity breeds contempt.
If you do not think that grey-whiskers had provided a snarky remark, then read it again. We are all humans, even police and yes they do make mistakes, and deadly ones at times. But I still think facts are needed before we get to the kind of remark he made. That is just my opinion, in response to his opinion, and mine was just as snarky as his was. In fact it was meant as such.
This is so far beyond a pet that even mentioning a pet shooting is irrelevant. Some dogs can do real damage, just for the record. They can kill you in an instant with a lunge to your neck. Now that does not mean that every pet shooting is justifiable and I am not saying that either. I'm saying facts need to be ascertained to make informed conclusions, and not just snap judgments.
Right now this is a tragedy of epic proportions, and I want to know why it happened as it did. It sounds like stupidity, but before I actually go there I want to hear their explanations.
Very sad for everyone involved, including the cop. But in this day and age, if you were practicing tactics with a friend and this happened, you would almost certainly be arrested and charged.
This is inexcusable.
.
Involuntary manslaughter, plain as day.
Negligence is hell, and death is worse.
This is absolutely nuts. In a training exercise some dumbshit officer doesn’t triple check his weapon to make sure that no live ammunition is chambered, and then doesn’t give it to the master at arms, captain, or another officer to do the same thing? This should be standard operating procedure, or use practice fake pistol molds.
.
>> “This is inexcusable.” <<
No kidding!
The officer that fired, and the command that authorized live fire should both be up for manslaughter.
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