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| North Miami Police Officers Shoot Man Aiding Patient With Autism | North Miami Police Officers Shoot Man Aiding Patient With Autism |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A black man said the police in North Miami, Fla., shot him on Monday as he tried to help a patient with autism who had run away from the group home where he works. | A black man said the police in North Miami, Fla., shot him on Monday as he tried to help a patient with autism who had run away from the group home where he works. |
| The man, Charles Kinsey, 47, who identified himself as a caretaker of the patient, was on a city street with the patient when officers arrived, a lawyer for Mr. Kinsey said. When the officers drew their weapons, Mr. Kinsey told them there was no need for firearms, lay down in the middle of the street and tried to explain what had happened, the lawyer said. | The man, Charles Kinsey, 47, who identified himself as a caretaker of the patient, was on a city street with the patient when officers arrived, a lawyer for Mr. Kinsey said. When the officers drew their weapons, Mr. Kinsey told them there was no need for firearms, lay down in the middle of the street and tried to explain what had happened, the lawyer said. |
| “All he has is a toy truck — a toy truck,” Mr. Kinsey said, according to video obtained by the Miami television station WSVN. “I am a behavior therapist at a group home,” he added. | |
| The video shows him trying to calm the patient, urging him to sit and to lie down. But the officers opened fire, and Mr. Kinsey was shot in the leg. | The video shows him trying to calm the patient, urging him to sit and to lie down. But the officers opened fire, and Mr. Kinsey was shot in the leg. |
| The North Miami police did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment on Thursday. The North Miami police chief, Gary Eugene, who held a news conference on Thursday, did not identify the officer who fired the shot and said an investigation would be led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. | The North Miami police did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment on Thursday. The North Miami police chief, Gary Eugene, who held a news conference on Thursday, did not identify the officer who fired the shot and said an investigation would be led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. |
| Chief Eugene said officers were responding to a 911 call of a person who was suicidal and that no gun was recovered at the scene. “The law requires us to gather every fact and resolve every question,” he said, but he took no questions from reporters. | Chief Eugene said officers were responding to a 911 call of a person who was suicidal and that no gun was recovered at the scene. “The law requires us to gather every fact and resolve every question,” he said, but he took no questions from reporters. |
| In a preliminary statement Tuesday, the North Miami Police Department said officers had responded to a call about “an armed male suspect threatening suicide.” | In a preliminary statement Tuesday, the North Miami Police Department said officers had responded to a call about “an armed male suspect threatening suicide.” |
| “Arriving officers attempted to negotiate with the two men on the scene, one of whom was later identified as suffering from autism,” the statement said. “At some point during the on-scene negotiation, one of the responding officers discharged his weapon, striking the employee” of a care facility. | “Arriving officers attempted to negotiate with the two men on the scene, one of whom was later identified as suffering from autism,” the statement said. “At some point during the on-scene negotiation, one of the responding officers discharged his weapon, striking the employee” of a care facility. |
| The video shows Mr. Kinsey in a yellow T-shirt and shorts with his back on the ground and his hands in the air. Seated next to him on a street is another man, who Mr. Kinsey says is the patient he was trying to help. | The video shows Mr. Kinsey in a yellow T-shirt and shorts with his back on the ground and his hands in the air. Seated next to him on a street is another man, who Mr. Kinsey says is the patient he was trying to help. |
| Despite Mr. Kinsey’s attempt to defuse the situation, officers fired multiple shots, one of them striking his leg, his lawyer, Hilton Napoleon, said. | Despite Mr. Kinsey’s attempt to defuse the situation, officers fired multiple shots, one of them striking his leg, his lawyer, Hilton Napoleon, said. |
| “He asked the police officer, ‘Why did you shoot me?’ He told my client, ‘I don’t know,’” Mr. Napoleon said. | “He asked the police officer, ‘Why did you shoot me?’ He told my client, ‘I don’t know,’” Mr. Napoleon said. |
| Clint Bower, the president and chief executive of MACtown Inc., where Mr. Kinsey works, expressed frustration at how the police responded, but praised Mr. Kinsey for his actions. | Clint Bower, the president and chief executive of MACtown Inc., where Mr. Kinsey works, expressed frustration at how the police responded, but praised Mr. Kinsey for his actions. |
| “Needless to say, after viewing the video, my employee Charles Kinsey, behavioral support professional, is a hero. He saved the 24-year-old young man with autism from being shot,” Mr. Bower said in an email on Wednesday. “He put his own life at risk, which is evident in the video.” | “Needless to say, after viewing the video, my employee Charles Kinsey, behavioral support professional, is a hero. He saved the 24-year-old young man with autism from being shot,” Mr. Bower said in an email on Wednesday. “He put his own life at risk, which is evident in the video.” |
| Assistant Police Chief Neal Cuevas told The Miami Herald that an officer had fired three times, striking Mr. Kinsey once in the leg. The officer was placed on administrative leave, and the investigation was turned over to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the authorities said. | Assistant Police Chief Neal Cuevas told The Miami Herald that an officer had fired three times, striking Mr. Kinsey once in the leg. The officer was placed on administrative leave, and the investigation was turned over to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the authorities said. |
| Mr. Napoleon said he met with city officials on Wednesday and had discussed the possibility of a settlement. Whatever the resolution, he said, the city should start by censuring the officer. “The best thing that the City of North Miami can do is come out and condemn the officer,” he said. | Mr. Napoleon said he met with city officials on Wednesday and had discussed the possibility of a settlement. Whatever the resolution, he said, the city should start by censuring the officer. “The best thing that the City of North Miami can do is come out and condemn the officer,” he said. |
| In a statement on Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said: “We have to stem the tide of violence, both nationwide and here in Florida. It starts with holding people accountable for their actions. There must be a thorough and independent investigation into this shooting that covers both whether officers violated internal use of deadly force policies and whether criminal charges should be brought.” | In a statement on Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said: “We have to stem the tide of violence, both nationwide and here in Florida. It starts with holding people accountable for their actions. There must be a thorough and independent investigation into this shooting that covers both whether officers violated internal use of deadly force policies and whether criminal charges should be brought.” |