73yo Librarian Fatally Shot by Florida Cop During Citizen Police Academy

Mary Knowlton arrived at the Punta Gorda, Fla., police station Tuesday night to learn how to be a community steward.

The 73-year-old was there as a student in the citizens police academy, a two-hour course intended to give an intimate look at what makes the department in the quaint Florida town work.

When it came time to get involved, Knowlton volunteered.

The hosting officers chose two students to role-play a lethal force simulation, a scenario intended to demonstrate how and when officers decide to pull the trigger. Knowlton played the victim, and a Punta Gorda police officer played a “bad guy.”

These scenarios are usually safe, acted out with either fake or empty weapons.

But when the officer’s gun was fired, Knowlton — a mother, wife and career librarian — was hit with a live round...


[link to www.washingtonpost.com (secure)]