Punta Gorda Police: Woman shot during Citizen Academy dies

[HCM]

Punta Gorda Police: Woman shot during Citizen Academy dies

A Punta Gorda police officer accidentally shot and killed a woman during a Citizens Academy on Tuesday evening.

Mary Knowlton, 73, was shot during a roleplay scenario in which the officer was playing a “bad guy” and fired several times at the woman who was supposed to be playing the victim, according to Sue Paquin, a photographer who was covering the event for the Sun and witnessed the incident.

The Punta Gorda Police Department hosted approximately 35 civilians from the community for a two-hour Citizen Police Academy, during which time two participants were randomly selected to be put through a “shoot/don’t shoot” scenario in which they make decisions on using simulated lethal force in a live role play, according to a press release from the department.

Lewis contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to respond and begin an investigation into the events surrounding this incident. The involved officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation. Florida Department of Law Enforcement personnel are now on scene and have taken command of the investigation.

http://www.news-press.com/story/news...ment/88500140/

This did not have to happen. Use dedicated Blank / Sims / red guns. Period.

[TGS]

What the fuck.

[RJ]

Thoughts and prayers are with the family. What a tragedy.

Punta Gorda is a nice quiet town across the river from Port Charlotte. We've stayed in the area a few times in the RV. In fact we've looked at some canal lots there.

I'm sure it will hit the community hard.

[Nephrology]

Sounds like someone fucked up hard...

[Hambo]

Back in the day we used real guns in training, but the pre- and post-training rituals were absolute. Before, all ammo off your person, unload and check clear, have two other verify. After, make sure everybody loaded up. It was far from ideal then and I'm glad there are a lot of options now that make it unnecessary. This incident was a major fuckup.

[LittleLebowski]

So preventable.

[Jay Cunningham]

There is such a tragic lack of understanding - even among the experienced - regarding risk.

[psalms144.1]

I've probably told this story before, but I know and am friends with a former officer who shot and killed his best friend in the "staging room" of a SIM house years back. They were using conversions, not dedicated SIM guns, and there was no one in the department certified as a less lethal training ammunition specialist. After AM training, they went into the staging room, peeled off protective gear, converted pistols back to "live" and loaded, then went to lunch. After lunch, reversing the process, they were in the staging room when his buddy, dressed out in protective gear "attacked" him, f-ing around. My dude drew his pistol and shot his buddy between the eyes, without thinking that he hadn't converted back to SIMS yet. He told me, years later with tears in his eyes, that he thought his friend was just "acting" when he threw himself back and laid unmoving on the floor...until he saw the blood.

I don't remember when this happened, but it was late 90s, early 2000s. The fact that shit like this is STILL happening in 2016 is UNFUCKINGACCEPTABLE. Period. Full stop. Nothing follows.

Prayers out to the family of the deceased, and to the officer who will likely be haunted by this for the rest of his life.

[LockedBreech]

Jeeeeeeeeesus

[RJ]

"wis said the police department was unaware that any ammunition existed for a weapon used in a special scenario Tuesday night that resulted in the death of a Punta Gorda woman...."

I saw a news clip with the Chief basically saying this.

The Article goes on to mention a "revolver".

Any speculation on what gun was in use here? Any thoughts as to why the training scenario would ever use a "real gun" in the first place?