Firearms expert: Several to blame for Punta Gorda shooting

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. Former Punta Gorda police officer Lee Coel isn’t the only one to blame for the death of Mary Knowlton, a firearms expert contends.

Four others within the city’s police department in August 2016, when Coel shot Knowlton during a citizens police academy training exercise, also bear responsibility, according to David M. Grossi Sr., a retired police lieutenant who reviewed the case on behalf of Coel’s defense.

Coel, who was fired from the department in March, is charged with first-degree felony manslaughter in the death of the 73-year-old retired librarian.

Chief Tom Lewis, who’s on paid administrative leave, is charged with culpable negligence, a second-degree misdemeanor.

His decision to have Coel, an officer with a checkered past, act as the “bad guy” in the academy’s “shoot-don’t shoot” demonstration during which Knowlton was killed is among the reasons Lewis deserves blame, according to Grossi.

Lewis gave assurances that Coel would be using blanks instead of real bullets but never personally inspected Coel’s weapon or assigned anyone to do so — another reason Lewis is responsible, Grossi said.

Grossi, who lives in Bonita Springs, is a certified police instructor who has trained more than 170,000 law enforcement officers on the use of force, including some Punta Gorda Police Department personnel, according to court filings. He’s been retained as a police procedures expert in more than 500 cases.

He believes Capt. Jeffrey Woodward, who was responsible for double-checking Coel’s weapon and who resigned effective June 2, also could have stopped the shooting.

“More egregious is the fact that Captain Woodard was in personal contact with Lee Coel moments before the scenario was to begin and even discussed the gun Coel was to use with him, but never bothered to inspect it,” Grossi said.

Lt. Katie Heck, who resigned last month and now works for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, was the designated event coordinator for the exercise in which Knowlton was killed.

Grossi pointed to Heck’s failure to ensure that someone was assigned to supervise the scenario. He also made note of her admitted inability to distinguish blanks from lethal ammunition.

He also laid blame on Lt. Christopher Salsman, who said in an interview with Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials that he and Woodard failed to double- or triple-check Coel’s gun.