1:04:00 AM
A woman has been accidentally shot to
death by the police during a simulation
exercise. The incident occurred in front of
34 people, in Florida, participating in a
citizens academy exercise.
The woman, named Mary Knowlton, 73,
was taking part in a role-playing scenario
Tuesday, when she was ‘mistakenly
struck with a live round’.
Police chief Tom Lewis says Knowlton
was chosen randomly from about 35
people in the class for a ‘shoot/don’t
shoot’ simulation during the Citizen Police
Academy at the station headquarters.
“Our entire police department and all of
our city leaders are absolutely devastated
for everyone involved in this unimaginable
event.
“Everyone involved is in an overwhelming
state of shock and grief,” Lewis said
during a press conference on Tuesday
night.
According to report, the officer was
supposed to fire blanks at Knowlton, but
live rounds were loaded in the gun. She
was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital in
Fort Myers, where she was pronounced
dead.
