The man, a therapist named Charles Kinsey, was attempting to soothe his autistic patient, who was sitting in the street while playing with a toy truck.
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An investigation into the shooting of an unarmed black man as he lay on the ground with his hands in the air is being undertaken by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, North Miami’s police chief said on Thursday. Media reports have said Kinsey is 47 years old.
In a statement, North Miami police say officers who responded to the scene “attempted to negotiate with two men on the scene”, and that one of the officers discharged his weapon. He also tells the officers that he is a behavioral therapist and tries to calm down another man in the street, reportedly one of Kinsey’s patients.
Kinsey’s attorney, Hilton Napoleon, provided the cellphone video to the Herald.
The names of the officers involved have not been released, but the officer who shot Kinsey has been placed on administrative leave, according to the Herald.
In the video, two officers can be seen standing behind light poles several yards away, with their weapons drawn.
Outrage erupted Wednesday, after a video of the event emerged, showing caretaker Charles Kinsey going out to help his patient.
The latest shooting comes amid weeks of violence involving police. Video footage captures the moments before the shooting, and its aftermath, but not the shooting itself.
He told journalists: “When I went to the ground, I went to the ground with my hands up”.
“I was really more anxious about him than myself”, Kinsey told the local affiliate. “I’d say about 20 minutes it took the rescue squad to get there”, Kinsey said. “Wow, was I wrong”, Kinsey said. Kinsey said that during the incident, he was more anxious for his charge than himself.
“The shooting officer said he didn’t know why he shot him”, Napoleon said, according to NBC Miami. “Please, do not shoot me”, he said.
Eugene declined to identify the officer who fired the shots, nor did he answer reporters’ questions at a Thursday news conference.
Kinsey said he was surprised, like when a mosquito bites unexpectedly. The patient is holding a toy truck, he yells out. And when he hit me, I’m like ‘I still got my hands in the air.’ I say you know, ‘I just got shot.’ And I said, ‘Sir, why did you shoot me? They stated that an investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
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Baton Rouge has become the focus of recent protests after the death of Alton Sterling, a black man shot by a white policeman.
