Unarmed therapist shot by police while trying to calm autistic man

An unarmed Florida man is telling his story after he was shot by police while trying to help an autistic patient who escaped from a mental health center. “I’m saying, ‘Sir, why did you shoot me?’ and his words to me were, ‘I don’t know'”. According to Miami Herald, police might have mistaken the toy for a gun, and it led to a big misunderstanding, which led to the police firing shots, hitting the black man on the leg.

WVSN reports that reports that Charles Kinsey was shot by North Miami Police on Monday and was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. “At some point during the on-scene negotiation, one of the responding officers discharged his weapon”. Arriving officers attempted to negotiate with two men on the scene, one of whom was later identified as suffering from autism.

Cuevas says police ordered Kinsey and the patient, who was sitting in the street playing with a toy truck, to lie on the ground.

‘All he has is a toy truck – a toy truck, ‘ Kinsey pleads with cops, lying flat on the ground with arms raised, as seen in cell phone footage of the incident.

Police did not identify the police officer who shot Kinsey and would not update WSVN about their investigation, although they say the state is also investigating the incident.

Despite all of that, the police officer still shot Kinsey.

The group, Circle of Brotherhood, plans to gather Wednesday evening in front of the police department’s headquarters to raise concerns about the shooting of Charles Kinsey while he was working with an autistic client. “They’re not going to shoot me”. It was just a caregiver with a 24-year-old autistic man who was carrying a toy truck. He was so surprised he even asked the police officer why he shot him.

“He threw his hands in the air as high as he possibly could and he told them, ‘There is no need for that”. It was like a mosquito bite.

In an interview with WSVN-Channel 7, Kinsey said that after he was shot, officers approached and flipped him over and handcuffed him.

‘I was really more anxious about him than myself, ‘ he said of his patient. I was thinking as long as I have my hands up … they’re not going to shoot me. The venue is located by a group home near Northeast 14th Avenue and 127th Street.

Kinsey’s wife Joyce told WSVN she’s just glad he is alive and able to tell the story of what happened to him.