The Punta Gorda man whose wife was shot and killed by a police officer during a training exercise is speaking about the moment that left him stunned in disbelief. And it was together that they attended the citizen police academy Tuesday night, where an officer fatally shot her while dozens watched.
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Chief Tom Lewis said Thursday during a news conference that he is 100 percent accountable.
Officer Lee Coel accidentally shot and killed 73-year-old Mary Knowlton Tuesday night during a shoot-don’t shoot scenario.
The officer who fired at Mary Knowlton, Lee Coel, has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.
“He is a bad police officer”, said attorney Scott Weinberg, who provided NBC with a copy of the dash cam video and confirmed that he has filed notice that he intends to sue Coel and the Punta Gorda police.
Lewis said he is taking “full responsibility” for the shooting death of Mary Knowlton, and that the department was working to provide grief assistance to the family and the community.
After Tuesday’s tragic shooting, the chief said his department will “absolutely not” use real weapons at future demonstrations. Citizen academies normally use simulation guns that look real but fire non-lethal rounds, police spokesman Lt. Katie Heck said.
Authorities are expected to hold a news conference about the shooting Thursday morning.
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”. The grievance stemmed from an incident that occurred just nine months before Coel shot Mary Knowlton during a public “shoot/don’t shoot” demonstration.
Coel said in his application to Punta Gorda that he was cleared of the excessive force complaints although investigators determined he violated two department policies. Lewis noted in his statement that an independent canine expert found Coel did not violate department procedures or Florida law.
Coel, a native of Cooper City, Florida, played football at Simpson College in Iowa and meant to be a veterinarian, according to Miramar personnel files. He previously worked for the Miramar Police Department, but he was forced to resign in 2013 after two people accused him of using excessive force.
Less than a year later, in March 2014, Coel was hired by Punta Gorda. Tania Rues, Miramar police spokeswoman, said Coel resigned, but she could not comment on the reasons why. “We’ve got officers assigned to him to make sure he’s psychologically stable”.
Unfortunately, no one took Scott’s warnings seriously – he didn’t even get in trouble for letting his K-9 maul the innocent man – and now the PGPD has a needless death on their hands.
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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. 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. “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”. “She’d be mad if I didn’t forgive”.
