Police Chief Tom Lewis said the shooting happened Tuesday night as two of the 35 participants were randomly selected to take part in a live roleplaying scenario “in which they make decisions on using simulated lethal force”.
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Steve Knowlton wipes his face as he talks about his mother Mary Knowlton during an interview Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Police Chief Tom Lewis knew her personally.
With suspicions running high between police and many citizens in recent years, particularly in minority communities, Vasquez said, a death like the one in Punta Gorda is extremely unfortunate. Police say an officer accidentally shot Mary to death during a citizen’s academy “shoot/don’t shoot” exerci.
A Florida woman is dead after a fatal shooting during a citizen-police training exercise. “But I have to learn to live with that”, Knowlton said, holding back tears while speaking of his wife, 73-year-old Mary Knowlton.
Knowlton was accidentally killed by an officer this week in a “shoot/don’t shoot” role playing exercise during a Citizen Police Night in Punta Gorda.
Coel has worked for the department since 2014 and frequently gave department presentations and tours, “specifically role-playing in these shoot/don’t shoot scenarios”, police spokeswoman Lt. Katie Heck said. He told investigators that he had fallen asleep. I know her very well. What are you doing, officer? “I told the chief months ago he’s going to kill somebody and now we are where we are”.
There is growing support in Punta Gorda to create a lasting memorial to Mary Knowlton.
A Florida police officer who mistakenly killed a 73-year-old woman during a role-play exercise this week has been the subject of excessive force complaints in the past, according to a police official and media reports.
Lewis contacted Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the incident.
FDLE is investigating the officer-involved shooting, said Steve Arthur, communications coordinator for the department.
In a letter to Punta Gorda police, Coel acknowledged he was “crushed” when asked to resign in Miramar. When she moved to Punta Gorda, Fla., she did the same, working, even in retirement, with at-risk kids, the local library and the Chamber of Commerce.
Investigators concluded that the allegations were unfounded except for the speeding, which they said topped out at 102 miles per hour and could have placed both men in danger. During the routine pullover, Coel’s police dog bit the cyclist, Richard Schumacher, when the officer claimed he didn’t follow orders, including a failure to stop. “We’ve got officers assigned to him to make sure he’s psychologically stable”.
“Trainee gets turned around easily. This has been a major struggle”, one superior officer wrote. Trainers noted he often got flustered during “hot calls”, which led him to stress.
Coel later joined the Punta Gorda Police Department. The man also said Coel drove over the speed limit as he transported him to a different facility.
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“I told everyone that this officer was risky and he needed to be fired”, said Weinberg, who didn’t identify his client. For a minute and 47 seconds, that officer nearly let that dog kill my client.
