As the pair were surrounded by police officers, Kinsey was laying down, his arms outstretched, so as to show he was unarmed, and not a threat to officers.
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Florida Police reportedly shot at behavioural therapist Charles Kinsey and his autistic patient Rinaldo. One of the bullets struck Kinsey in the leg.
An officer then fired three times, striking Kinsey in the leg.
“When he shot me, it was so surprising. Wow, was I wrong”.
“But I guess with all the shootings that are going on, they are nervous and shook up”, Matthews said. “They see the slightest thing going on, and they are scared to death”. According to his attorney Hilton Napoleon II, Kinsey was on the ground for 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived.
North Miami police held a press conference Thursday morning to address the incident.
Eugene says bringing in an outside agency shows the department’s commitment to objectivity in a sensitive matter.
The officer in question of shooting has not yet been named and is now in administrative leave. It read in part, “I did what I had to do in a split-second”. We had witness statements that there was a gun.
“This is the way it’s always been”, said Bishop T.D. Jakes, speaking at a panel last month in Washington, D.C. For generations, blacks have been reluctant to call authorities for help because “we have never felt safe with the police”. However, no gun was recovered.
This despite the fact that caretaker Charles Kinsey had repeatedly told officers that it was a toy truck. He said he tried to explain the situation to officers. His patient remained sitting beside him, playing with a toy truck.
Campaigners have criticised the shooting, saying Mr Kinsey was unarmed and cooperating with police, and pointing out it appeared obvious from the video footage that the patient did not have a gun.
In this case, Rivera said, the officer ended up wounding the man he was trying to save. “Sit down. Lay on your stomach”. He asked his patient to be still and lie down.
“I was really more anxious about [the autistic patient] than myself”, Mr Kinsey said. This is what I’m thinking.
A video of the happening before and after the shooting was released. The Washington Post, WSVN and the Miami Herald have stories.
Miami Police stated that the officer involved was on leave until the incident was fully investigated. Kinsey also is black.
Protestors, including members of the NAACP, plan to be back at the police station on Friday and continue to demand answers.
“At my request, as of yesterday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is taking over this investigation”, he said.
Police in North Miami have offered few details about the shooting.
‘Why did you shoot me?’ I thought it was a mosquito bite.
“If she would have told the other officers, maybe they wouldn’t have shot”, said Matthews, a 73-year-old African-American. “I’m bleeding”, he said.
On July 6, another black man, 32-year-old Philando Castile, was killed in Minnesota when a police officer pulled him over.
“I realize there may be questions about what happened on Monday night”. You have questions. The community has questions. And when it hit me, I had my hands in the air.
The shooting itself was not caught on video and the officer’s justification for shooting remains unknown.
The video, reportedly taken with a cellphone, was filmed Monday and published online Wednesday, bringing swift condemnations. He said he was on his back with his hands up when he was shot. “Something is not right with that picture”. No one else in North Miami spoke.
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United States police shootings: How many die each year? He was listed in good condition. He can be heard on the video clearing telling officers that the object in his patient’s hands is just a toy truck, and that he is trying to help him.
