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.
Then lock it open and put a plastic zip-tie through everything to ensure it doesn’t get loaded, too. Unreal.
Prayers up for all involved.
And to think these people have the power to take ones freedom.
No, that is probably asking too much of you I guess. It must be hard for a perfect person like yourself to live in such an imperfect world. /sarcasm
One report I read said she was shot more than once.
Is that an evasive way to say, someone was negligent, acting carelessly and shot her to death?
M4L Police Shoot
Here’s the link where I read she was shot more than once.
“She was shot multiple times during a role play exercise in which the officer pretended to be the “bad guy,” with Knowlton playing the victim, a photographer covering the event told the Charlotte Sun.”
His @$$ needs to be in jail for a long time.
I was going to say, ‘never volunteer’ but the article says the victim was selected.
The cop asked her to come to the front, then accidentally shot her?
In the words of Heidegger, “This really sucks.”
Hey! It’s all about “Officer Safety” and the Officer was safe, so what’s the problem? < sar/ >
True. He did go home to his family at the end of his tour.
Professional gun handlers? I don’t think so. Most all of the shooters I’ve shot with rigidly practice proper gun-handling, or I correct and instruct them upon my observing their error. Not that I’m a stickler for detail or such.
Police used to be considered role models and there were plenty of people who wanted to join departments, so the departments could be selective. I hate to say it, but in the environment that Obama has created over the last 7 1/2 years the most qualified people are not trying to join police departments.
When this happens the standards have to be eased to keep positions filled. Especially in out of the way places where they do not pay well; it will become more and more likely that people who would normally not be hired will be able to make it through the process. This type of incident becomes more likely when incompetent individuals are able to stay on the job. It is sort of inevitable.
And why was his finger on the trigger?
What happened to Rule #1, NEVER point a gun, even an unloaded one, at anything you don’t intend to kill?
Coming to a town near you...soon.
If I’m around shooters that don’t follow all four rules of firearm safety (they don’t have to wear hearing or eye protection, it’s their eyes and ears), I never shoot with them again.
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