It’s hard to see where this story is going to have extenuating circumstances that justify the actions of North Miami police. Once again, there is a cell phone video showing that the eventual shooting victim had his hands raised. On top of that, the man was lying on the street flat on his back. Finally — luckily — his injuries have proved to be minor and he is available to give his version of what transpired.
The Miami Herald identifies the man who was shot as 47-year-old Charles Kinsey, a therapist who works with people with disabilities. He had pursued an autistic patient out of the facility where he works when a bystander called 911 to report a that man with a gun was threatening to kill himself. The description appears to refer to the patient who in fact was clutching a toy truck as he sat on the ground with his legs folded.
Kinsey was trying to persuade the patient to return to the facility when police arrived. The patient, whose identity has not been disclosed, can be heard shouting at Kinsey in the video, which follows:
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In an interview from his hospital bed, Kinsey told reporters he was ordered by police to lie on his back and complied. He added that prior to his being shot, he assured police — who had drawn their service weapons — that he was unarmed. “Sir, there’s no need for firearms,” he claims he told one of the officers.
After he was shot, he adds, he was flipped over and handcuffed. The name of the officer who fired the shot has not been released.
The investigation has been turned over to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Police still hadn’t released any paperwork or the incident report of the shooting by Wednesday. There is no indication that a weapon of any kind was found. The officer who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard, for at least a week.
With tensions already boiling over on the issue of police interaction with the black community, expect this story to be politicized by the Left as an indictment of all cops.
