Officer Oscar Vasquez of the Jacksonville, Illinois Police Department, who is president of the National Citizens Police Academy Association, said he had never heard of anyone taking part in such courses being fatally shot. Eleven months later he was hired by the Punta Gorda Police Department.
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Punta Gorda Police Officer Lee Coel was released from the Miramar Police Department after not being able to successfully complete the field training program, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The goal: to help citizens learn the quick decisions that police must confront on the streets.
But in June, when the dash cam video of Coel’s dog attacking Richard Schumacher went viral and the Punta Gorda police began getting death threats, Lewis said the officer had been retrained.
By all accounts, this was just an unfortunate accident – the prop gun had somehow been loaded with real ammunition as opposed to blanks – but it does not help the situation that Lee has a pretty questionable history in law enforcement. He was hired about a year later by the Punta Gorda Police Department, where earlier this week he shot Mary Knowlton during an exercise created to show citizens the split-second decisions police officers must make.
“This officer was involved in a K-9 apprehension incident”, Lewis said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to investigate the fatal shooting at the Punta Gorda Police Department. Lewis said the department has a K-9 expert examine the details of the case. While there, two people accused him of using excessive force. “He is letting the stress get to him, which is causing him to make more mistakes”. “Then they turned her over and that’s where we saw the bullet holes”, says Mary’s son Steve, who explained what his father witnessed.
The younger Knowlton said in an interview Wednesday at his parents’ home that, on his mother’s behalf, he was forgiving the officer who fired. Investigators agreed it was too much force.
“I want and tried to save her life”. “You can’t even put live ammunition in them”.
But the Punta Gorda Police Department said no other formal complaints were ever made against the officer.
Mary Knowlton moved to Florida after living for years in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.
Books and magazines lay scattered on tables of the home she shared in Florida with Gary, her husband of 55 years. The couple split their time between Minnesota and the small Gulf Coast community.
“I forgive him. My mom was very spiritual”.
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“She will be remembered as one who inspired with her quiet leadership, who took personal interest in each person she came in contact with, and brought out the best in them with her love and encouragement”.
