POLICE INSTRUCTOR KILLS TRAINEE

This does not sound like the best way to train someone. Tara Drummond, 23, was one of 30 rookies in a 10-week program at the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy.

Week 7 training? Firearms.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

The trainees were in a classroom in the basement of the academy, located in a converted textile mill, when the gun discharged about 4 p.m., said Carol Morgan, the academy director.

County Sheriff Neil Warren, whose office administers the program for Cobb, declined to discuss details of the shooting.

Drummond was taken to a local hospital where she died a short time later.

She was the first Kennesaw police officer killed in the line of duty, said department spokesman Scott Luther.

Kennesaw police Chief Tim Callahan called the death "a tragic accident," and added: "For the next few days, we want to honor the life of this young officer who would have been a great officer one day."

The class instructor is an "experienced veteran" of the county sheriff's office who has been teaching at the academy for 10 years, Sheriff Warren said.

The instructor is about to experience the ramifications of a state policy that forbids working firearms from classrooms.