Officer on shooting of unarmed man: I had to do it

The North Miami cop who shot an unarmed man trying to calm a patient with autism was hit accidentally, police union officials said, and the officer believed he was saving that man’s life.

Arms raised high. Forty-seven-year-old Charles Kinsey was shot by police yesterday in North Miami, Florida, for no apparent reason.

While the actual shooting Monday was not captured on camera, a recording shows that before any shots were fired, the man was lying on his back on the ground, his hands in the air, calling out that the man sitting near him was not holding any kind of weapon.

Eugene said officers responded to a 911 emergency call about an armed man threatening suicide, but the chief told reporters no gun was recovered at the scene.

An investigation was underway Thursday after a unarmed black man was shot in the leg by a Miami North Police Officer.

I’m telling them again, “Sir, there is no need for firearms”. He called it a “very sensitive matter” and promised a transparent investigation.

In an interview with the TV station, Kinsey said he never thought for a moment that he’d be shot. He’s got a toy truck in his hand. Police said in a statement that the shooter was placed on administrative leave according to standard procedures.

“Rinaldo, please be still, Rinaldo”, he is heard saying on the video to the autistic man. “Sit down, Rinaldo, Lay on your stomach”. This is what I’m thinking. Kinsey lies down and puts his hands up while trying to get his patient to comply.

“I realize there may be questions about what happened on Monday night”.

After the police news conference, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said the video shows Kinsey being “rational”, begging the question why he was still shot. “When I went to the ground, I went to the ground with my hands up”, Kinsey said, “and I am laying there just like this”.

From a hospital bed, he expressed surprise at having been shot, especially since the officer explained the situation as “I don’t know”.

“Why did you shoot me?” “And his words to me, ‘I don’t know'”. Protests have erupted in major USA cities during the past year and a half, as widely viewed videos of police shootings of black men drew attention to long-standing issues of race, policing and lack of accountability for officers. Kinsey could be heard in the video saying, “All he has is a toy truck”.

“But I guess with all the shootings that are going on, they are nervous and shook up”, Matthews said.

The police chief is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who has been with North Miami police since 2013, but he was only sworn in as chief on July 12.

Circle of Brotherhood, a group of men who work together to perform acts of community service and crime prevention, are demanding answers after Kinsey, who is one their members, was shot.

Kinsey’s attorney, Hilton Napoleon II, said he is working on a potential settlement with the city.

“From what I saw, he was lying on the ground with his hands up”.