Charles Kinsey was protecting his patient Arnaldo Rios last week when a North Miami police officer responding to a report of an armed suicidal man shot Kinsey in his leg, according to the North Miami Police Department.
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“I don’t know if it’s a gun. He is sitting in the middle in the road”, she said.
Last week’s shooting came amid weeks of violence involving police. Kinsey was released from the hospital late last week. Kinsey spoke to reporters after walking with a cane into Aventura Hospital, where Rios is receiving treatment for emotional trauma from the July 18 shooting.
First, he thanked everyone for support “all around the world”.
“When he saw me, he jumped right up and he wanted to cry”, says Kinsey, a behavior technician at the facility.
Kinsey said he feels fortunate that he and Rios survived the encounter and reunited Thursday.
“It really touched me to see him”.
“On a scale of one to ten, I would give it an eight. My heart is content. As long as he’s fine, I’m OK”.
“By then, it was too late”, she said.
“There is a guy in the middle of the road and he has what appears to be a gun”, the caller said. “He has it to his head, and there’s a guy there trying to talk him out of it”.
“Arnaldo would even call him ‘daddy, ‘” she said. The guy that’s trying to talk him out of it is green shirt and black shorts. The 911 calls for the shooting have also been released.
The caller was told to stay inside the house – then the call ends.
The 911 call seems in line with what police had previously described – that someone warned them of someone in the street with a gun. Things could have went the other way. “I believe I did everything I could the right way”. Police fired, striking Kinsey in the leg.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. Police Cmdr. Emilie Hollant was suspended without pay after investigators said Hollant provided false information about the incident. After the shooting, sources said, Hollant tried to mislead investigators by saying he wasn’t at the scene. But Rios left and went back to the site of the shooting.
Kinsey, who was lying on the street beside Rios with his hands up, shouted to police that Rios held a toy truck.
In a video of the incident, Kinsey is heard telling officers, “All he has is a toy truck, a toy truck”.
Rios did not have a gun, but a toy truck.
Aledda, a four-year veteran who has been placed on administrative leave, said he was being painted as something he wasn’t.
No weapon was found after the shooting. The officer thought Rios posed a danger, said John Rivera, president of the Dade County Police Benevolent Association.
Rios’ diagnosis came when the family lived in Baltimore. “I hate the police, the blood, the blood, ‘” said attorney Matthew Dietz.
The city announced a 90-day plan that includes more crisis intervention training and autism awareness for first responders.
On Thursday, Kinsey and Rios spent about 30 minutes together. Kinsey said that physically he’s okay, but that he hasn’t been able to sleep.
Gladys Soto, Rios” mother, said her son “saw Charles and he said, “Oh my God, Char!'” when they reunited Thursday.. Rios was not told beforehand that Kinsey was visiting. “I said, ‘Hey, Arnaldo, how are you doing?’ He said, ‘Good, good.’ I said, ‘They treating you OK in there?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah?’ I just wanted to bust out in tears, man. I really wanted to”.
After Kinsey made his way back into an SUV, Soto addressed the media.
Arnaldo’s attorney said his family is having discussions with the Department of Justice for them to start their own investigation.
“I can tell you that one thing is for sure”, says Hilton Napoleon.
“I am very sad – very, very sad”.
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She said he sometimes has outbursts. “He needs a place to live”.
