Fmr. Minnesotan Shot, Killed At Fla. Citizen Police Academy
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota family is in shock after a demonstration at a citizen's police academy went terribly wrong.
A Florida police officer accidently shot 73-year-old Mary Knowlton during a citizen's academy class Tuesday night in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Knowlton was originally from Austin, Minnesota, and had lived in the state until retiring with her husband to Florida in 2013.
She had volunteered for the "shoot, don't shoot" scenario in front of the class of 35 other students.
"Disbelief," said photographer Sue Pacquin. "I mean, it was surreal. Just ... this didn't happen."
Pacquin, who works for the Charlotte Sun newspaper, was covering the Punta Gorda citizen police academy Tuesday night.
The photos she captured show Knowlton minutes before she died, and also a photograph of the officer firing the shot that killed her.
"At first we all thought she was play acting. And then a split second later you're thinking, 'Oh my goodness, maybe she had a heart attack,'" she said.
Pacquin and others realized minutes later that Knowlton had been shot -- a tragic mistake that police are still investigating.
"During the first scenario, in a horrible accident, participant Mary Knowlton was mistakenly struck with a live round," said Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis. "We believe that the particular caliber of the weapon used … that there were only blank rounds available to the officer."
Police cannot yet explain why the revolver, which Lewis claimed was used only for the academy, was loaded.
Police departments large and small hold citizen's academies to build support, understanding and as a way to connect with their communities.
But what happened Tuesday evening has shaken that to the core.
Steve Knowlton says his mother was "an incredible woman" who was always involved in community activities. She helping build and expand libraries, and was excited to learn more about policing.
"We've had a number of break-ins around here so it was just one of those things to support [the police] and figure out how to take care of yourself," Steve Knowlton said.
She was a media specialist at Parkview Elementary in Rosemount from 1988 and 2004. She was then a substitute librarian in Rosemount, Apple Valley and Prior Lake.
"She was kind of the pillar of our building," said Parkview Elementary Principal Nicole Frovik.
She says Knowlton was her mentor, and a librarian who shared the love of reading and helping others.
"She took a lot of pride in making sure that this was a place of gathering and a place where people would come together and learn about kids and help kids, and learn about how we can become better teachers and have resources that we could use, and just a strong compassion for people," Frovik said.
Her son says he wishes he could have just one more day with her.
"You never plan on this," he said.
Det. Sgt. Rich Evans has taught Eagan's citizens police academy for nine years. He said the eight-week course is always full, and teaches students everything from how SWAT teams operate to police investigations. But their training never involves live ammunition.
"The [training handgun] barrel's plugged, and the end of the barrel shows it's plugged with the orange cover on it," Evans said.
He says other departments in Dakota County operate in a similar way. His heart goes out to Knowlton's family, and to the officer who fired the fatal shot.
"This instant, if we examine it, it probably would be an avoidable one if the right safety parameters were employed," Evans said. "But again, it's a tragic accident and there's a lot of people affected by it."
Evans says police departments across the country run their citizen's academies in different ways.
The officer involved in the shooting, who has not been identified, has been placed on administrative leave. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation.
