A North Miami police officer shot Charles Kinsey, an unarmed black man, as he lay on the ground with his empty hands in the air. At least he lived to tell the tale. And thank goodness there is some cell phone video footage because you absolutely would not believe it otherwise.
The police say that someone had called to report “a man with a gun threatening to kill himself.” They found Kinsey, a behavioral therapist at a group home, and his patient, a white male in his 20s, and ordered them to get down on the ground and keep their hands visible. Kinsey obeyed. The patient did not.
Kinsey tried to protect his patient. On the video, you can hear him telling the police:
“All he has is a toy truck. I am a behavioral therapist in a group home.”
Kinsey asked the patient to get down on his stomach and be still. The patient answered, “Shut up,” and kept sitting in the street, playing with his toy.
None of the available videos show the actual shooting. What is clear is that Kinsey was lying on the ground with his hands in the air and that he repeatedly told the officers:
“There is no need for weapons. I’m unarmed. He’s an autistic guy. All he has is a toy truck.”
Kinsey said that he was more worried about his patient than himself. He was sure that the police wouldn’t shoot him as he lay on the ground, hands in the air, speaking calmly to the police. Suddenly he felt a sting and realized that he had been shot.
Kinsey told reporters that he asked the officer, “Why did you shoot me?” and the officer replied, “I don’t know.
Initially, police officials confirmed that Kinsey had been shot and said that the officer had been placed on administrative leave. Later, the president of the Police Benevolent Association said that the officer had intended to shoot the patient because he believed that the patient was threatening Kinsey’s life.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the case. The Justice Department is also aware of it.
