Woman Is Accidentally Killed by Police Officer Playing ‘Bad Guy’ at Training Academy in Florida

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/11/us/woman-is-accidentally-killed-by-police-officer-playing-bad-guy-at-training-academy-in-florida.html

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A woman was accidentally shot and killed in Punta Gorda, Fla., by a police officer in a role-play exercise at a citizens training academy meant to help members of the community understand law enforcement tactics, the authorities said on Tuesday.

Chief Thomas P. Lewis of the Punta Gorda Police Department said at a news conference late Tuesday that the woman, Mary Knowlton, 73, had been killed in a “horrible accident” at the training session hosted by the department earlier that day.

The chief did not name the officer or address why he used live rounds in the training session.

Ms. Knowlton was one of about 35 residents who had attended the session. She and another participant were randomly selected to participate in “shoot/don’t shoot” scenarios, a role-play exercise intended to teach people how to make decisions when confronted with lethal force, Chief Lewis said.

Ms. Knowlton was shot during the first scenario, the police said. The authorities did not say where she was shot or how many times, but Sue Paquin, a local photographer who was covering the event, told The News-Press in Fort Myers that the officer had fired several shots at Ms. Knowlton.

According to a post by The Charlotte Sun on Facebook, the officer had been playing a “bad guy” in the scenario when he shot Ms. Knowlton.

Ms. Knowlton was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, where she was pronounced dead.

Chief Lewis said the officer who shot Ms. Knowlton has been placed on administrative leave and that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would conduct an investigation into the shooting.

According to a Facebook page belonging to Ms. Knowlton, she was originally from Minnesota and had worked as a librarian.

Shocked residents of Punta Gorda, a harbor town of about 16,000 people near Fort Myers, reacted to the shooting on Facebook. On Wednesday, a debate about whether the officer should have been armed was brewing on the Police Department’s page.

“An accident, really, so that makes it OK?” one observer noted. “Live rounds used in a citizens training exercise.”

The department had operated the scenarios as part of its training program for about two years without incident, Lt. Katie R. Heck, a public information officer, said in an email.