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City approves settlement in death of Mary Knowlton

Posted at 10:50 AM, Nov 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-02 18:31:21-04

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- The Punta Gorda city council has approved a settlement for over $2 million to the family of a Punta Gorda woman that was accidentally killed during a demonstration.

The Knowlton family will receive payments from two sources: $2 million from a city insurance policy, and $60,234.23 from the city's damage recovery fund.

Tuesday, the city announced the settlement with the family of librarian Mary Knowlton, who was tragically killed during a citizen's academy class in August.

The settlement was approved by the Punta Gorda city council Wednesday morning.

Punta Gorda Police Officer Lee Coelaccidentally shot Mary Knowlton with live rounds, instead of blanks, during a lethal-force demonstration at the police department.

The State Attorney is still reviewing findings by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to decide whether to seek criminal charges in this case.