Librarian role-playing at citizen police academy is fatally shot by officer in 'horrible accident'
A former librarian participating in a role-playing demonstration at a citizen police academy in Punta Gorda, Florida, on Tuesday was fatally shot by an officer.
Police Chief Tom Lewis said at a news conference that the shooting of 73-year-old Mary Knowlton was a “horrible accident.” Lewis did not explain why the officer had live ammunition in the gun. Newspapers with coverage include the Washington Post, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the News-Press and the New York Times.
The role-playing was intended to show situations in which officers use lethal force. Knowlton was playing the victim. A photographer with the Charlotte Sun was covering the academy and witnessed the shooting, in which the officer fired multiple times, the newspaper said on Facebook.
