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Niamh. · 10-08-2016, 02:06 PM

Librarian Mary Knowlton was taking part in role-playing scenario in Florida

Police in Florida say an officer accidentally shot and killed a woman during a citizens academy “shoot/don’t shoot” exercise.
Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis told news outlets that Mary Knowlton, a librarian, was taking part in a role-playing scenario on Tuesday night when she was “mistakenly struck with a live round”.
Mr Lewis says Ms Knowlton was one of two from about 35 people in the class for a “shoot/don’t shoot” simulation during which they decide whether to use simulated lethal force during a “live role play”.
The chief says she was mistakenly shot with a live round. He says she was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Mr Lewis did not identify the officer involved. He has been placed on administrative leave pending a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world...cise-1.2751492

Toy Soldier · 10-08-2016, 02:16 PM

He might have been stressed, it's a stressful job.

Livia · 10-08-2016, 02:47 PM

Live rounds in role play They're going to have to rethink that one.

Toy Soldier · 10-08-2016, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Livia

Live rounds in role play They're going to have to rethink that one.

They usually use paintball or airsoft guns, not blanks in real guns (as accuracy is obviously part of the drill)... I can only imagine whoever shot her, accidentally pulled his real sidearm instead of the fake one?? So the question really would be, why did he have his real sidearm with him in the first place...

LeatherTrumpet · 10-08-2016, 03:05 PM

poor lady was married for over 50 years!.

Spoiler:

Niamh. · 10-08-2016, 03:28 PM

I mean I kind of feel bad for the officer cos I'm sure it was an accident but seriously, it seems like a completely idiotic mistake

Maru · 10-08-2016, 03:39 PM

The worst part is it happened as part of a citizen outreach program. After reading about it, it seems like a good program.

Read somewhere it was supposed to have been a blank but I don't think anything definitive has been released. The husband has shown me a few and by appearances they look the same or at least very similar to a real bullet. You can't always tell by weight either. He makes ammunition because it's cheaper, an adored hobby and he has a lot of antiques that aren't easy to get ammo for so we see a lot of brass around here.

Quote:

Role-playing scenario turns deadly

Knowlton was one of two Citizen Police Academy students chosen to participate in a “shoot/don’t shoot” role-playing situation, Punta Gorda police said. The demonstration was supposed to instruct the class about making decisions “using simulated lethal force,” Lewis said.

She was rushed from the police department to Lee Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead, the police department said.

Punta Gorda police did not immediately identify the officer involved, but said that officer was placed on administrative leave. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been asked to conduct an investigation into the incident, which is common in officer-involved shootings.

The academy is a free eight-session course offered to as many as 35 people who are interested in learning local civics, according to the city’s official website. Knowlton’s class began at 5:30 p.m., according to Lt. Katie Heck.

They just had a morning press conference basically saying there's going to be more press conferences and announcing areas for grief counseling.

This woman seemed to be really involved with that community. I wonder if she may have had ties to law enforcement prior (family such as husband or a close relative). There are many people who become widowed that stay involved for many many years participating at charity events and other outreach programs. These are some of the kindest and charitable people you will ever meet. Haven't read all the details but it seems like she was well-known in that local community for her activities based on the press conference. It's very tragic.

Ithinkiloveyoutoo · 10-08-2016, 08:05 PM

So many unqualified people in the police force.

Maru · 11-08-2016, 01:22 AM

Hubby showed me one of those fake bullets before he left for work. He said that blanks have crimped ends (crushed metal ends with no cap) and are supposed to simulate the sound and kickback of a real bullet. So those would be much more obvious and harder to mix up with real ammo. Instead, what might've been used is a dummy bullet. Granted, he said most companies colorize the bullet to help tell the difference.

The one he showed me was still metal but the color is a cast.

This is a picture I took of it. You can see it's metal with a Merlot-ish color finish. Now, I don't know that much about firearms, so to me a bullet is a bullet and this looks legitimate. I've seen bullets in various colors/shades, though generally they are brass, silver (nickel) or grey (steel) colored. The weight itself is very close to a real one... at least to me.

The other types he said they make are metal finish bullets with soft tips that can put out paint and other material. Those are more obvious as the tips are white and have bright colors at the end.

I had said to him I wondered if maybe they had emptied/removed the magazine, but then forgot to empty/check the chamber for live rounds. This is entirely possible, he said.

If the latter happened, that he forgot to check the chamber, then I think that is a really really really dumb mistake. It's firearm safety 101. Even mistaking a dummy bullet between a real one is a terrible mistake. Though, I can see in a wreckless moment with someone being too careless after digging in a box with maybe other old, similarly colored ammo, that maybe a mix-up happened? Even still.

I'm leaning towards blanks because if it was a demonstration for civilians, they may have wanted to have the weapon being discharged, the sound and all, which would've been educational in that experience. Many people have never been around a gun being discharged up close so they don't know how loud they really are and how unsettling that can be in an emotionally charged situation. At a range, you have ear and eye protection, but not out in the field. Even being at a range for several hours, if I remove my headset for a minute and hear a shot, I wince. It's just natural. A BB gun or a 9mm is not going to be as loud as a .45 which is what many officers carry. So there is that.