Written by: Greg Ellifritz
Did you read about last year’s negligent shooting in Florida where a police officer shot and killed a member of his community during a training demonstration? According to THIS ARTICLE here’s how it happened:
“There is no evidence that Officer Coel intended to use lethal ammunition while participating in the role play scenario with Mary Knowlton on August 9, 2016. Furthermore, it is apparent that Ofc. Coel’s, and others’, inability to differentiate between blank firing cartridges and .38 caliber HBWC ammunition resulted in Mary Knowlton’s death.”
The officer mistook wadcutter .38 bullets for blanks.
This is the consequence of hiring cops who aren’t “gun people.” Most current cops don’t carry revolvers, have never seen full wadcutter ammunition, or shot ammunition loaded in aluminum cases. Most police “instructors” know little more than the cops they train. The Blazer wadcutters looked sufficiently “different” from the ammunition the officer was used to firing that he assumed the wadcutters were blank cartridges, leading to tragedy.
It’s sad for me to say this, but if you are ever asked to volunteer for any police training drill, you should adamantly refuse. Most of the cops who run these “scenarios” don’t know enough to ensure your safety. Cops and citizens get shot in police training drills with alarming frequency. The only way to ensure you won’t be the next victim is to be as far as possible away from any police training exercises.
Blank on left. Wadcutter on right.
