Florida corrections trainee dies in accidental shooting

Author: The Associated Press
Published:
Buffalo, UNITED STATES: View of the holding cell 14 November 2006 of his newly painted Dallas County jail with the color scheme of pink with blue teddy bear accents in Buffalo, Missouri. The Dallas County Detention Center is being repainted a soft shade of pink in an effort to better manage sometimes volatile detainees. Sheriff Mike Rackley said he decided to update the look as part of extensive repairs necessary after inmates set a fire and vandalized the interior in an escape attempt 08 October 2006. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)

A Florida Department of Corrections trainee was killed in an accidental shooting, officials say.

The department released a statement Saturday identifying the trainee as Whitney Cloud, who had been with the agency since June. She was assigned to the Jefferson Correctional Institution and was training at Wakulla Correctional Institution in Crawfordville.

Cloud was shot accidentally during firearms training on Thursday, the statement said. No one else was injured.

“We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Officer Whitney Cloud,” said Corrections Secretary Mark Inch. “As a newly hired officer trainee, Officer Cloud vowed to make a difference in the lives of others and protect her community. We are immensely saddened by this unexpected tragedy.”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.

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