Video Shows Unarmed Man With Hands Up Shot by Police
— -- An unarmed black man was shot by police while attempting to help a suicidal man with autism in North Miami, officials said.
Cellphone video from the scene showed 47-year-old Charles Kinsey, who is an employee of an assisted living facility, had lain on his back with his hands in the air while speaking with officers, who had drawn their guns.
"I'm like this right here, and when he shot me, it was so surprising," Kinsey told WSVN-TV in Miami. "It was like a mosquito bite, and when it hit me, I'm like, 'I still got my hands in the air,' and I said, 'No, I just got shot!' And I'm saying, 'Sir, why did you shoot me?' and his words to me, he said, 'I don't know.'"
So far, no video has surfaced of the actual shooting, but Kinsey said he still had his hands in the air when officers fired at him.
The video from Monday's incident also showed the 23-year-old autistic client of the facility playing with a toy truck.
"All he has is a toy truck, a toy truck," Kinsey is heard yelling in the minutelong video. "I am a behavior therapist at a group home."
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up, you idiot," the man Kinsey was caring for shouts at him. Kinsey was also heard attempting to calm down the autistic man.
"Rinaldo, please be still. Rinaldo, sit down. Rinaldo, lay on your stomach," he says.
Police confirmed that during the encounter one officer fired at Kinsey, who was then transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers went to the area after they received a call about an armed man threatening suicide. The officers "attempted to negotiate" with the man, according to police.
The officer who shot Kinsey was placed on administrative leave, per department policy.
Officials said the investigation is underway and is being assisted by the Miami-Dade state attorney's office.
