PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- A 73-year-old woman was killed Tuesday when an officer mistakenly used real ammunition during a "shoot/don't shoot" demonstration at an event designed to bring police and the public together, authorities said.
Police didn't immediately say how a gun with a live round came to be used at Tuesday evening's demonstration, hosted by the Punta Gorda Police Department in southwest Florida. Authorities noted that blank rounds are typically used in such classes. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
"We were unaware that any live ammunition was available to the officer," Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis said at a news conference Wednesday. "The officer involved is grief-stricken. We've got officers assigned to him to make sure he's psychologically stable."
Mary Knowlton, a community volunteer, was shot after being randomly selected to take part in the role-playing scenario illustrating the split-second decisions an officer must make about firing. It was part of a popular academy attended by 35 people, including her 75-year-old husband.
Knowlton's son, Steve Knowlton, said his father was "devastated."
Punta Gorda police Lt. Katie Heck said officers in such demonstrations normally use "simunition guns," which are real-looking weapons that fire a nonlethal projectile with reduced force. But Mary Knowlton was mistakenly struck with a live round, officials said.
Later Wednesday afternoon, Heck identified the officer as Lee Coel and said he has worked for the department since 2014. She said Coel frequently gave department presentations and tours, "specifically role-playing in these shoot/don't shoot scenarios."
Officer Oscar Vasquez of the Jacksonville, Ill., Police Department, who is president of the National Citizens Police Academy Association, said he had never heard of anyone taking part in such courses being fatally shot. He said most departments in those scenarios do not use weapons that are capable of firing a live round.
"When we run scenarios, we will use starter pistols," Vasquez said. "You can't even put live ammunition in them."
Some departments use video simulators or other nonlethal devices, he said. Officers involved in most citizen academies typically don't even take service weapons into classes, he added. People are told beforehand that live weapons won't be used.
"We put them in the shoes of the officers so they can see, real time, the decisions we have to make and the time frame we have to make them," he said.
"It just breaks my heart. It's such a tragedy," he said.
Mary Knowlton attended the class with her husband, and it was supposed to be "a fun night," her son said.
Steve Knowlton said he used to tease his mother about how much she worked in retirement. She helped with the Chamber of Commerce, was active in a program for at-risk kids, and spent hours volunteering at the library.
Steve Knowlton, speaking more than 12 hours after the shooting, said his father hadn't yet been able to see his wife's body.
"To see your wife shot and killed, and not be able to see her," Steve Knowlton said, his eyes filling with tears.
And yet, Knowlton said his mother would have wanted him to forgive the officer who pulled the trigger.
"I forgive him," he said. "My mom was very spiritual. She brought us up right."
"There's too much hate in this world," he said. "In America, we always feel like we need revenge and it doesn't solve anything. I obviously can't say it's easy to forgive, but it needs to be done. She's watching me now."
Information for this article was contributed by Curt Anderson of The Associated Press.
A Section on 08/11/2016