Authorities have identified the officer who was involved in the accidental shooting death of a 73-old-woman at a citizens academy program being conducted by a Florida police agency.
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And like the one in Punta Gorda, Fla., many citizen police academies across the country teach a curriculum that includes addressing use of lethal force by police.
‘If you pray, please pray for Mary’s family, and for the officers involved.
Reporters asked Lewis about the protocol for checking the weapon for safety purposes prior to the training session, but Lewis said the state investigation into the matter prevented him from discussing those protocols and whether or not they were followed.
The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
Police haven’t given details on how the incident unfolded or why there was live ammunition in the officer’s gun. The Post reports that for three decades, citizen police academies have been offered throughout the U.S.; per decade-old Justice Department stats, about 15% of surveyed police departments had such academies.
“We have done them for the last two Leadership Charlotte police nights, Punta Gorda Citizen’s Academy, and then this was the first police night hosted by our Chamber of Commerce”, said Lt. Katie Heck, public information officer for the Punta Gorda police. Police said she was “mistakenly struck with a live round”.
In the scenario Knowlton, a librarian by profession, and her partner were pretending to be two citizens engaged in an altercation.
“She was a vibrant, outgoing person who was really dedicated not only to libraries, but also to serving the community”, Grussing told the Washington Post.
Lewis took no questions at the conference and would not clarify why live rounds were used during a civilian demonstration. News stories displayed here appear in our category for US Headlines and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization.
Pictured, Mary Knowlton with her husband.
“It horrific and my heart goes out to her, everyone who had to witness that in the classroom”, Tyler said.
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Hartwigsen said Mary and her husband of more than 50 years would come back to Minnesota periodically to visit.
