As the family grieves, well-wishers have flooded Steve Knowlton’s Facebook page.On Aug. 10, he wrote, “Know that all your sentiments are so appreciated”. He charged Schumacher with attempting to elude a police officer, driving under the influence and other charges, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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Chief Tom Lewis called Tuesday night’s incident a “horrible accident”. Police say an officer accidentally shot a woman to death during a citizen.
Records show a police officer who fatally shot a woman during a citizens academy class was twice accused of excessive use of force at a previous department where he worked.
The police chief of Punta Gorda says the fatal shooting of Mary Knowlton Monday was accidental, but there will be a full investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into why real ammunition was used instead of blanks.
At a citizens’ academy meeting on Tuesday night, officer Lee Coel mistakenly shot 7.
Authorities are expected to hold a news conference about the shooting Thursday morning. Witnesses who watched her stagger and fall after Coel fired at her thought she was just committed to her role – until they saw blood.
Attempts to reach Coel or Coel’s family were unsuccessful Wednesday.
The immediate reaction following the shooting has been one of shock and disbelief, said eyewitness Sue Paquin, a Sun correspondent who captured the tragic moment with her camera.
Lewis said it would likely be 2-5 more weeks before FDLE finishes its investigation into the shooting and he would be transparent when the findings were released. “The situations escalate quickly, forcing fast decisions”.
Both the citizen and the officer have a firearm during these scenarios.
After an internal review of the Schumacher incident, Coel received additional training and Punta Gorda changed its rules on when police dogs could be used to apprehend a suspect, The Florida Record reported. He had previously resigned from the Miramar Police Department on April 16, 2013 after a 14-month tenure there. Tania Rues, Miramar police spokeswoman, said Coel resigned, but could not comment on the reasons why.
Schumacher’s lawyer Scott Weinberg told Inside Edition: “He is the type of officer who should not be on the police force”. Weinberg took the man’s case in June, and that’s when he viewed Coel’s dashcam video of the arrest and informed local media about the case.
But that’s not even Officer Coel’s worst offense – he was actually involved in a case of police brutality last October when he used excessive force on 25-year-old Richard Schumacher while arresting him for not using a headlight on his bicycle… “If he had been fired like he should have been when he ordered that dog to maul my client for a minute and 47 seconds, then this wouldn’t have happened”.
Not all officers had access to the revolver, but Lewis would not say specifically who could have loaded the gun with real bullets. He said without physically checking the gun, there is no way to tell whether blanks are inside or live ammunition.
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Her son, Steve Knowlton, said his father was “devastated”.
