By Ola Adeola
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.
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